Mass Effect 2: Desperation
by Alan J. Worthington
Summary: Humanity is threatened, and Commander Shepard is tasked with saving his species. He must find and recruit men and women skilled enough - and willing enough - to fight against suicidal odds. Though the galaxy is big, and such individuals are scarce, Shepard learns one thing: there will always be those willing to fight for the right cause, no matter which galaxy they may come from.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

The darkness was almost complete, the figure sitting alone in the chair preferring the untainted shadows as he considered his next move. He idly thumbed a cigarette in his left hand, his right clutching the lighter, and yet he did not ignite it, his mind completely elsewhere at the moment. A small beeping from the inlaid console on the right arm of the chair brought the Illusive Man back to reality, and he put away his thoughts as he made a gesture and the holopanel appeared. He typed in a few commands and sat back, waiting as the Quantum Entanglement Communications Array aboard the Minuteman Station broadcasted an exact image of Commander John Shepard to him. He fell into his natural rhythm, igniting a cigarette and taking a drag from it before regarding the armored figure in front of him.

"Good work on Freedom's Progress, Shepard. The quarians forwarded their findings from Veetor's debriefing. No new data," he said with a small shrug, "but it's a surprising olive branch, given our history."

Shepard acknowledged the Illusive Man with an accusing scowl. "This history... Is that where you made a direct attack on the quarian people?"

The Illusive Man waved away Shepard's question. "That's in the past, and isn't connected with the current task." He skillfully returned Shepard's attention to the results of the last mission. "What's important is that you've confirmed Collector involvement in the abductions."

He saw Shepard shake his head. "Why do I get the feeling you knew about them already?"

"I had my suspicions, but I needed proof." He rearranged himself in his chair as he continued. "The Collectors are enigmatic at best. They periodically travel to the Terminus Systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items or specimens, usually in exchange for their technology." He paused a moment to take a smoke. "When their transactions are complete, they disappear as quickly as they arrived; back beyond the unmapped Omega-4 Relay. Until now, we've had no evidence of direct aggression by the Collectors. That's why I sent you to make sure."

"What are the Collectors getting from these 'deals'?"

The Illusive Man shrugged. "Who's to say? The Collectors generally seek out species with rare genetic mutations or abnormalities. They pay slavers and merc groups exorbitant sums to obtain these specimens, and then they leave. But they've never targeted a single species before, and the previous sample sizes were in the dozens, not the tens of thousands. That's enough to get my attention."

Shepard nodded. "Any idea why they've shifted their focus to humans?"

"If they're agents for the Reapers, it could be any number of reasons. Obviously, humanity played a huge role in Sovereign's destruction. That might have been enough to draw their attention." He looked aside in thought. "What really concerns me is why they bother abducting the colonists. They seem to go out of their way to capture them. I haven't heard anything about a ransom, and while I haven't ruled out the possibility of intentional genocide against humanity, it doesn't seem the likely answer, considering the relatively low-key attacks, as well as the fact that the Collectors keep their hostages alive during retrieval. They're kidnapping us for some reason, and I don't like the implications." He took a smoke, and Shepard took that as a chance to interrupt with another question.

"Do you know anything about the Omega-4 Relay? Why we've never been able to get to the other side of its sister relay?"

The Illusive Man shook his head as he returned his gaze to the commander. "We know nothing at all. Like everyone else, we only _know_ that any ship passing through it has never returned. Our best guess is that the relay reacts differently to Collector vessels, allowing them safe passage. If they can manipulate relays, that's just further evidence of the connection between them and the Reapers."

Shepard crossed his arms, and the Illusive Man saw him adopt a skeptical look. "While I'm thrilled that someone else believes in the Reaper threat, I still find it hard to believe that a mythical race of aliens is tied to them. The Reapers haven't been seen for fifty thousand years. Just how do you see the Collectors connected to them?"

The Illusive Man shrugged, comfortable with revealing his mirrored skepticism. "Truthfully, I don't know. The only thing I know for a fact is that humanity is under attack, and that the Collectors are behind it. The galaxy refuses to act, seeing the abductions as seemingly random pirate attacks, and so I must take steps to stop this threat personally. Whether the Collectors are truly allied with the Reapers is an issue that will undoubtedly be dealt with during this mission."

Shepard looked satisfied with the explanation and nodded. "If you're serious about this, then I'll need an army. Or a really good team."

The Illusive Man nodded, satisfied with Shepard's agreement. He pulled up his console with his hand and began the sequence that would send relevant information to Shepard's private email system he had set up for the commander to use over the course of the mission. "An army would be too difficult to manage. A small team of operatives would be better suited for this task." His finger hovered over the files he was prepared to send, each named after the respective dossier inside. "I've already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists, and mercenaries for you and have weeded out all but the most capable. You'll get dossiers on the best of them." He pressed the send button. "Finding them and convincing them to work with you could be challenging, but you're a natural leader." He spared Shepard a look. "I'll continue to track the Collectors. When they make their next appearance, I'll notify you and your team. Be ready."

Shepard nodded, and the Illusive Man made to close the channel before the commander suddenly voiced another question. "I had a good team when I stopped Saren. You have any idea what happened to them, and if they're still available?"

The Illusive Man sighed slightly, expecting this eventual question as soon as he had confirmed that Shepard would survive Project Lazarus. "Most of them have moved on after your death. Some have progressed in their career, others have changed allegiances, and some have disappeared altogether." His last statement earned a startled look from the commander, and so the leader of Cerberus clarified. "Chief Williams is still with the Alliance. Promoted, I believe. Her file is surprisingly well-classified, though her role in the galaxy has substantially shrunk since your death, and so she wasn't worth noting for very long. The turian disappeared a few months after you were declared dead. Much to my chagrin, even we haven't been able to locate him. The krogan returned to Tuchanka and hasn't been off-world in over a year. Our last update confirmed he's trying to unite the krogan clans." He took a brief smoke before continuing. "Dr. T'Soni is on Illium. My sources say she's working for the Shadow Broker. If so, she can't be trusted." He emphasized his last statement with a slight shake of his head, hoping to convey to the commander just how suspicious he believed the asari to be in her current line of employment. "As for the quarian, it seems she's unavailable for recruitment, at least for the moment. Miranda suggested we keep tabs on her and recruit her should her current mission with the quarian fleet end. She's a talented engineer, and her expertise could certainly help our cause."

"So even though Cerberus and the quarians have a history that's less than delightful, you're considering putting her on my team?"

The Illusive Man nodded. "I won't throw away a valuable resource, Shepard. Suffice it to say that our history was just a simple misunderstanding of both parties, and none of your business." He added the last part with a hint of an edge to further emphasize how serious he was about Shepard keeping to himself. "You're a leader, Shepard. You'll get who you need."

Shepard seemed to take the hint, backing off that subject in favor of a new one. "I'm still a Spectre. Maybe I can get the Council to help me out."

The Illusive Man flicked his cigarette into an ashtray to free it of ash. "If you can convince them to lend their support, by all means." He doubted Shepard would be able to get more than a simple show of good faith from the leaders of Citadel Space, but he had doubted the commander before, and had been surprised by the man's knack for achieving the impossible. "Just remember: you've been gone a long time. Things could have changed."

Shepard nodded. "You worry about the Collectors. I'll make sure my team's ready."

The Illusive Man inclined his head, feeling the pride of a good plan coming together already. "Good. A few things before you go. There are a number of places I could recommend you begin your search for crew members to aid you in your mission. Chief among them are two places that I feel are as important as they are mysterious." Shepard cocked an eyebrow, but allowed the Illusive Man to continue. "A few days ago, we intercepted reports of an unidentified phenomenon occurring just outside the planet Laban's atmosphere in the Enoch system of the Rosetta Nebula cluster. A passing mining vessel reported what looked to be a lightning storm in space forming just outside Laban's atmosphere, before something described as metallic was jettisoned from the middle of the storm onto the planet's surface." He clasped his hands together. "Two teams have since been sent to the planet's surface to account for this thing, but haven't reported back. I'd like you to go and investigate what happened on Laban."

"Why is that so important?" Shepard asked. "I thought I was supposed to be finding a way to destroy the Collectors."

The Illusive Man nodded. "You are. But I believe this could be just as important in the long run, and it might be to your benefit if you find out just what that metallic thing was. Space phenomenon has always been a fairly common occurrence, given the size of the known galaxy, but never have we seen anything like what the mining vessel reported. A lightning storm in space, forming just outside a planet's atmosphere, is certainly strange, but the fact that something came _from _that storm is what concerns me. I'm not casting random speculation out there, Shepard; it's possible this could be connected to the Reapers."

That got Shepard's attention. "How so?"

The Illusive Man took one last smoke from his cigarette before he discarded it in the ashtray. "We've already confirmed that the Reapers conduct some sort of cyclic extinction periodically in the galaxy. They intend to wipe us out at some point or another, possibly within our lifetime if they have the chance. But where are they until then?" He left the question hanging in the air, not really intending to give Shepard a chance to answer. "I have no idea, and neither does any other race in the galaxy. But they know about us. Even worse, they know about you." He pointed at Shepard. "I'm led to believe that they have an eye on us here in the galaxy from wherever they are in the universe. This lightning storm could be what they intended to be an isolated event that would drop something into our known galaxy, intending to inform them of our progress as a galactic community. It could be something that would reveal our numbers, our technological advancement as a galactic society, or any other number of things." He shrugged. "And that's just one theory. What I need you to do is go to Laban, find that metallic structure, and give me an idea of what we're dealing with."

Shepard nodded. "Alright. I'll start there."

The Illusive Man mirrored the nod. "It's up to you. I just think it would be to our mutual benefit if we can affirm or discard my theory that this object is Reaper-connected." He lit up another cigarette, during which Shepard waited patiently for him to continue. "The other location is the planet Trebin, in the Antaeus System of the Hades Gamma cluster. Our scientists recently made a discovery below the planet's surface that, in the end, I've decided to give to you as support for this mission."

Shepard shrugged. "What is it?"

The Illusive Man took a smoke before responding with a shake of his head. "Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure. I would dedicate more time and resources to understanding it, but I feel you could make more use of it than I could at the moment. A team of scientists found what they believed to be a cryostasis chamber built deep within the planet's crust. After cracking into the facility, they discovered an armored figure inhabiting the chamber, frozen in stasis. No records of any kind were within the facility, so we have no idea who or what is in there. My scientists haven't brought the inhabitant out of stasis yet, but they've determined that it _is_ giving off vital signs, and that removing it from the premises before waking it could be fatal to whatever is inside. Just from observation, it looks human, but the technology is nothing like we've ever seen."

Shepard crossed his arms. "Wouldn't this be an excellent opportunity for you to study it? Maybe learn something from the technology?"

The Illusive Man nodded. "It would, but initial attempts at studying the technology proved to be a waste of time. To get real results, we'd have to bring it back to a science lab. I was prepared to authorize that when Miranda suggested she take a look. Considering it's not going anywhere, I've allowed her access to the site. I want you to go to Trebin and take a look for yourself. You're one of my most valuable assets now; I trust you to make the right call. If you think whatever it is can help you in your mission, you may take it as your own."

"And if it's some sort of Reaper tech?"

"You might want to consider allowing my scientists to study it, if only to see what exactly the Reapers are capable of. With luck, we might be able to reverse-engineer the technology and adapt it for our own use. If you believe it to be too much of a threat, however, well... It's your call." Shepard nodded, and the Illusive Man nodded back, ready to send Shepard on his way. "That being said, you may begin your search for your team wherever you wish. I've forwarded all relevant data and dossiers to you so that you can review them at your leisure."

Shepard's face looked skeptical. "And just how am I supposed to see them? My suit isn't interfaced with a mailing system."

The Illusive Man smiled. "I would suggest you use your new ship's private terminal. Your pilot should be able to direct you to it." With that mysterious statement, the Illusive Man terminated the connection.

* * *

As the Illusive Man terminated the connection, Shepard wondered idly just what the man was talking about. He almost expected to be stationed on a Cerberus ship, but the Illusive Man's tone suggested _he_ was getting a new ship for _himself_. Further speculation was interrupted by the sound of light footsteps before a voice called out from behind him. "Hey, Commander. Just like old times, huh?" Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau asked with a grin.

Surprised, Shepard turned and grinned at his old helmsman. "Joker!" He quickly closed the distance between them, grabbing the crippled man's hand in a firm handshake and giving it a good pump, his other hand resting on the man's shoulder in a show of friendship. "It's good to see you. I never expected to see you here of all places."

Joker shrugged as he began walking back up the ramp that led to the waiting room upstairs. "Well, life is full of crazy things. Talking jellyfish, robots with flashlights for faces, and old friends coming back to life two years after they died." He grinned at his own joke, and Shepard couldn't help but do the same. "It's good to see you, though, Commander. Never thought I'd see you again."

Shepard smiled as he topped the ramp with the helmsman. "I still can't believe it's you, Joker." The revelation of waking up in Cerberus' arms left the commander with the belief that he would be surrounded by people absolutely loyal to their cause, the entire lot complete strangers. Even if it was one face he recognized, Shepard couldn't have been more relieved.

"Look who's talking," Joker replied. "I saw you get spaced. All on account of my stubbornness. If I hadn't have been so obsessed with-"

"Joker, it's okay," Shepard interrupted, momentarily stopping the pilot in his tracks to look him in the eye. "I understand completely. We all were a little crazy during the attack. It took us by surprise." He shook his head. "I'm not blaming you."

Joker looked away, though in shame or in relief, Shepard couldn't tell. "Well, I still shouldn't have done that. Emergency procedures and such..."

Shepard grinned. "Since when have you given a rat's ass about procedures?"

Joker grinned. "Well, y'know." He looked back, smiling as the tension broke between them. He began walking again as he continued the conversation. "How'd you survive anyway?"

"Got lucky, with a lot of strings attached." Shepard looked to Joker. "How'd you end up with Cerberus though?"

All humor died from Joker's eyes, and he hung his head as he continued walking, leading them deeper into the facility through several corridors. Shepard idly hoped the pilot knew where he was going, as he had gotten totally lost. "It all fell apart without you, Commander. Everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted gone."

Shepard nodded. "I can understand that. It was a lot of fire I threw at them. Can't imagine anyone really wanting to face up to that." He shook his head. "Hell, even I didn't want to believe it."

Joker looked at Shepard with convicting eyes. "But that's the point. You did. Everyone else shoved their faces in the sand and hoped it would blow over." Shepard could hear the bitterness in Joker's voice as he continued. "The team was broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded. The Alliance took the one thing that mattered to me. Hell yeah I joined Cerberus."

Shepard was surprised by the amount of passion in Joker's voice. Or perhaps it was just the bitterness. "You really trust the Illusive Man?" he asked cautiously, afraid to hear the answer.

A little bit of mirth returned to the pilot as they stopped before a large window looking out across a blackened room. "I don't trust anyone that makes more than I do. But they can't all be bad." He looked at his commander. "They brought you back. Let me fly." He looked back to the room. "And then there's this." Shepard looked out into the room, straining to make out the form of something in the room. As the lights kicked on, his eyes widened in surprise, with Joker adding, "They only told me last night."

The lights came on, one by one, illuminating a ship housed inside the massive room. Familiar pearl plating jumped out at Shepard like a varren hungry for meat, and as his eyes traveled the sleek length of the ship, he couldn't suppress the grin that found its way to his face. It was almost too good to be true, and yet as he noted the familiar dorsal fins at the tail of the ship, as well as the unique vector thrust nozzles sitting on the wings, Shepard could feel skepticism replaced with excitement.

"It's good to be home, huh, Commander?"

Shepard just nodded, staring out at the rebuilt frigate that looked exactly as his old ship, if not much bigger. He noticed the vacant place where a name would be stenciled, and looked to Joker with a knowing smile. "I guess we'll have to give her a name, won't we?"

Joker only smiled back.

* * *

Shepard and Joker were given rooms to spend the night in the Cerberus facility, waiting until the next day to christen the ship. After a military-esque breakfast in the facility's cafeteria, Shepard was escorted to the Normandy by Jacob and Miranda. Joker had already eaten and had gone to the ship early to prepare it for its first launch, and so Shepard entered the Normandy's airlock to find the ship manned and ready to fly. It was much like the Normandy he remembered. A hallway connecting the bridge to the Combat Information Center was lined with servers designed to monitor everything about the Normandy. Each server was manned by a crewman in Cerberus uniform, and Shepard was beginning to feel impressed already. He walked toward the main chamber of the CIC, noting that a galaxy map terminal was still centered at the back of the room. Currently, the terminal was displaying an entire blueprint of the Normandy in an orange light. Crewmen milled about, still wrapping up last-minute preparations, but the efforts seemed organized and focused. Several armored figures stood at attention throughout the ship, guns relaxed in hand but still held ready, and Shepard assumed them to be security. Shepard nodded to himself, impressed as Jacob and Miranda came to a stop beside him.

"Welcome to the new Normandy, Commander," Jacob said, his own face broken into a smile as he was obviously proud of the accomplishment his organization had achieved.

"We're fully staffed?" Shepard asked, stepping closer to the display of the Normandy, noting with surprise that the display was actually a real-time display of the Normandy itself. Dots with names attached to them were moving about the network of rooms inside the display, and Shepard saw his own dot standing where it should be, in the CIC, next to two dots labeled 'Lawson' and 'Taylor'.

"Yes, Commander. Everyone is at their stations awaiting your orders." Miranda replied, remaining a respectable distance from him as he admired his ship. Still marveling over the ship's design, Shepard didn't reply, and Miranda decided to begin. "I've reviewed the dossiers the Illusive Man has supplied us, as well as the information regarding the cryostasis chamber on Trebin and the lightning storm outside Laban's atmosphere. I'd strongly recommend investigating the chamber to determine the nature of the item the science team discovered."

Shepard turned from the display to look at Miranda, his mind going from amazement to business in half a second. "Why do you think it's top priority?"

Miranda crossed her arms. "The Illusive Man thinks the discovery is important. That's all I need to make my decision."

"Then you'd better get used to thinking outside the box, Ms. Lawson," Shepard responded. "I won't have my crewmembers making decisions based on blind faith." He crossed his arms, awaiting a reply.

Miranda cocked her head, slightly peeved but more impressed. "Very well. The science team discovered what they believe to be someone in some sort of body armor. The armor itself is unidentifiable by galactic records; we have no idea who could have made such a suit of armor. The technology is theorized to be more advanced than any species in the galaxy, however, which makes the find significant. The Illusive Man would like us to assist the science team when they attempt to wake the being inside the armor. It may be hostile, and if it has to be put down, the Illusive Man would like us to do so with minimal damage to the suit itself."

"So this thing..." Shepard said, leaning on the central display as he considered Miranda's logic. "Do we know how long it's been frozen?"

"Ice core dating puts it at over ten thousand years old."

Shepard thought it was as unbelieving as she sounded. "Ten thousand years?" He stroked his chin, considering the possibilities. "It can't be human, that much is for certain. Could it be asari?"

Miranda shrugged. "Doubtful, but we don't know for sure. Nothing in asari records match the look of the suit. We suspect the technology is more advanced than any known galactic species ever was that long ago. That's the mystery."

"How do we know it's more technologically advanced than anything in the galaxy?" Shepard asked.

"The suit appears to have an onboard computer, and all of our best attempts at accessing it to gain an idea of the suit's origin was met with failure." She shook her head to emphasize just how bad the failures were. "Our hackers had barely started before the suit's firewalls shut them out. With our current level of technology, the suit is unhackable."

"The suit also appears to have a weapons system built into it," Jacob added. "Initial scans have hinted at a self-sustaining energy source inside that powers the suit and its weapons, much like the older gun models a few years ago. It's much more sophisticated than anything we've seen, though," he added, with a hint of jealousy. "Our top scientists at the site think it's impervious to overheating."

Shepard nodded. "So it can't be prothean either... could it?" He wracked his brain for all he knew about the protheans, trying to see if the suit of armor - and whoever was inside - could be related to the hyper advanced race of aliens.

Miranda shook her head. "Again, doubtful. They were wiped out over fifty thousand years ago. The dating on the suit doesn't put it that old."

Shepard nodded again. "The suit isn't going anywhere, if the reports are to be believed. It's been frozen for ten thousand years. It can wait a few more days. I think our best course of action is to investigate that metallic object that fell onto Laban's surface and the two fire team's disappearance."

_"Investigating the disappearance of the fire teams seems to be the most logical course,"_ a feminine voice suddenly stated, and Shepard looked toward the intercoms reflexively, wondering who had said that, and how they were listening in on his conversation. The voice didn't sound normal. Almost as if...

"What was that?" he asked. A sudden blue light from behind him drew his attention back to the display, where a blue orb had appeared. He quickly learned that this was 'who' had spoken.

_"I am the Normandy's artificial intelligence. The crew likes to refer to me as 'EDI,'"_ the AI elaborated. As she spoke, a lighter blue band that ran vertically across the face of the orb moved in time with her words, as if it were a vertical mouth.

Shepard crossed his arms in thought as he considered the AI in front of him. Other than Sovereign, he had never run across a true AI that could speak; the only ones he had ever encountered were geth, and they were always shooting at him. And Sovereign was a Reaper. He had always wondered about them, though, and EDI seemed polite enough.

Despite his judgments either way, he settled with a neutral stance. "I don't see you having an easy time with my helmsman. Joker really isn't the type of pilot to turn over his ship to an AI."

_"I do not helm the ship,"_ EDI politely countered. _"Mr. Moreau's talents will not go to waste."_

Shepard had not expected her answered, as he couldn't think of any other use for an AI aboard a ship. "So what do you do? And what does 'EDI' stand for?"

_"EDI is the phonetic pronunciation of E-D-I. That is an acronym for 'Enhanced Defense Intelligence.' During combat, I operate the electronic and cyberwarfare suites. Beyond that, I have minimal interaction with the ship's systems. I observe and offer analysis and advice. I also collate the records of shipboard monitoring devices for the Illusive Man."_ The fluctuating band suddenly turned red as EDI continued. _"I seem to serve additional functions which are restricted at this time."_

That caught him by surprise. He never figured that an AI would be unaware of even a single function it was capable of. "Restrictions?"

_"Correct,"_ EDI continued, the vertical stripe still red. _"Some of my databases are sealed. Some of my hardware is kept offline. I assume that when certain unknown conditions are met, those functions will be released to me."_

Shepard looked to Miranda and Jacob for an explanation, to which Miranda obliged. "Basically, it's a shackled AI. Security precautions built in for our safety." She gave Shepard a knowing glance. "The field of artificial intelligence has had rocky results, the geth being a prime example. Until EDI is fully tested, we're keeping certain systems offline until needed."

Shepard nodded, looking back at the AI. "Explain your cyberwarfare capabilities. I want to know just how useful such systems could be in combat."

_"In close range ship-to-ship combat, I am capable of breaking into the firewalls of an enemy's internal wireless network. Once I seize control of their systems, I can turn off gravity or air. I can disable weapons guidance or shields. I can put their fusion plant in meltdown. On the defense, I manage Normandy's own suite of jammers, decoys, and internal firewalls."_

"Considering the stealth capabilities of the Normandy, getting in close should be no problem," Jacob added.

Shepard nodded. "That's impressive." EDI didn't comment, and so he asked a final question of the AI. "What about these monitoring devices?"

_"The Illusive Man has invested a significant portion of Cerberus' resources into this project, including recovery of your body, the research capable of restoring your life, the design and construction of this ship, and the recruitment of the hundreds of agents responsible for our current position,"_ EDI explained thoroughly. _"He has an interest in monitoring our progress."_

Shepard nodded, assuming as much. "What types of monitoring devices does he have in place?"

_"Audio and visual monitoring devices are scattered throughout the ship. Beyond that, I do not know._

Shepard nodded. "Well, that's neither here nor there. I think you'll be a great addition to the team. Thank you, EDI," he said in dismissal.

_"You're welcome, Shepard. Logging you out."_ EDI's avatar disappeared from the display, and Shepard turned to the two Cerberus agents.

"Besides being a part of my team, what are your positions on the Normandy?"

"I'm your Executive Officer for this mission," Miranda replied first. "I'll manage day-to-day operations and make sure the ship and its crew are working to maximum efficiency. I report to you on matters that concern the mission but are not sensitive to Cerberus, and direct concerns to you when they demand your attention. Beyond that, I make sure the mission goes smoothly so that you may concentrate on tactical planning and execution."

Shepard nodded. She knew her duties well, and so Shepard felt comfortable having her serve as his XO. He didn't voice his suspicion that she would also keep an eye on him to make sure the mission progressed in a way to further Cerberus' interests; it was fairly obvious she would do so. He turned to Jacob. "And you?"

"I'm the Armory Chief. I'm in charge of maintaining and upgrading all the weapons, armor, and new weapons tech we get our hands on. I'm also head of security on the Normandy. All of security reports to me. I'll make you aware of any concerns we may find on the ship, but I'll do my best to take care of any problems myself to save you from the distraction. In the event of a ship-wide concern, dangerous or otherwise, I'll bring the matter to you for your judgment."

Shepard nodded. "Alright. I've made up my mind. We're going to investigate that phenomenon on Laban and find out what fell to the surface. Maybe if we're lucky, the fire teams just lost communications because of that storm." He nodded to them both in dismissal. "Dismissed." Miranda simply nodded back but Jacob stood at attention and saluted, to which Shepard returned. As the security chief headed to the armory and his XO headed off to her office on Deck 3, Shepard walked around to the galaxy map, but before he could scale the ramp to the virtual interface, he was intercepted by a young woman with short, red hair and a perky attitude. She stopped before him and saluted.

"Welcome aboard, Commander. I'm Yeoman Kelly Chambers." When Shepard returned the salute, she lowered her hand, taking a more comfortable stance as she continued. "I've been assigned as your administrative assistant during the course of this mission. I'll manage your messages, keep you notified of any appointments you may have, and will keep you informed of any business any of the crew consider important and for your ears only."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow. "Executive Officer Lawson is more suited for that type of task."

"The Illusive Man wanted Executive Lawson's attention focused solely on mission progress and updates. She is his primary link to the Normandy. As such, he wanted basic administrative tasks to be handled by someone else."

"So a VI would be cheaper," Shepard countered.

Unperturbed, Chambers nodded. "Correct, but being your yeoman is just my official role. Unofficially, I observe the crew."

"In what way?" Shepard asked.

Proudly, Chambers stood straighter as she relayed what Shepard assumed to be her favorite part of the job. "I serve as the Normandy's psychiatrist. I have a degree in psychology, and so watch for any sign of stress that may be connected to the nature of our mission." She gave him a knowing glance. "When we signed up for this, we were told it was likely our last mission we'll ever serve."

Shepard's eyebrows raised in surprise. "And you all signed on anyway?"

Chambers nodded. "Yes. This mission was strictly voluntary, with the Illusive Man handpicking every agent you see on this ship. You have the best of the best at your disposal, Commander." Her brows furrowed. "Despite this, however, we're all still human, and are capable of cracking under pressure. My job is to look for the warning signs, and to head them off before they become a problem. One breakdown can damage moral more severely than suffering heavy casualties."

Shepard nodded, smiling in approval. "I'm sure you'll be an asset to the team, Ms. Chambers."

She smiled. "Please, call me Kelly."

Shepard smiled back. "I'm afraid that won't be professional, and until I get my bearings, I'd like to keep it that way."

Her smile didn't falter. "Very well, Commander. I understand. Should you feel the need to talk, I'm always available. Commanders feel the pressure as much as their crew."

"Sometimes, even more so," Shepard agreed. He nodded to her. "Carry on."

She returned to her post with a curt reply. "Yes sir. Be sure to check your messages. You've received a number of them." She pointed to the two terminals on the other side of the galaxy map before returning to her own terminal. Shepard moved to the computer, recognizing a fingerprint reader to the side and pressing his thumb to the black scanner. A moment later, the terminal flared to life

[WELCOME, COMMANDER SHEPARD]

The operating system felt familiar to Shepard, though he could detect subtle differences between Cerberus' terminal and the Alliance's terminals. He quickly adapted, however, and scrolled through his messages one by one, reviewing them briefly before closing down the terminal. There'd be time to looking at them in more detail later. He instead ascended the steps to the galaxy map, the interface coming to life as he drew near. He quickly plotted a course for Laban, and the galaxy map's interface forwarded the coordinates to the bridge, where Joker would begin the flight.

_"Course plotted, Commander. ETA to the next Mass Relay, about two hours."_

Shepard watched the galaxy map for a moment, seeing the Normandy's signature begin to move in the direction of the Mass Relay, before stepping down. He felt the small _thump_ as the magnetic locks disengaged from the ship's hull, and knew the ship to be in motion, though the mass effect fields within the ship would keep anyone from feeling it.

Knowing they were on their way, Shepard made his way to the bridge, intending to see how his helmsman was handling the new Normandy. Every soldier he passed saluted him, and it was almost unreal to believe he was standing inside a Cerberus vessel. He would have figured his time with the Alliance would have tarnished his name within this organization; he certainly didn't do them any favors when he dismantled their many operations two years ago. Despite that, every soldier here showed him the respect he would expect from Alliance military, and it only took a quick second to fall into the familiar lifestyle. He walked up the path to the cockpit, still marveling the accuracy of the Normandy's layout, and stopped at Joker's pilot seat. Joker turned to look at his commander, excitement evident on his face.

"Can you believe this, Commander? It's my baby, better than new! Fits me like a glove!" Joker gushed. He was squirming in his chair, and Shepard could see that the seats weren't military design. "And leather seats! Military may set the hardware standard, but on a first-gen frigate they could care less if the seats breath." He patted an armrest. "Civilian sector comfort by design."

The blue avatar of EDI suddenly appeared the left, drawing the attention of both men to her as EDI added, _"The reproduction is not intended to be perfect, Mr. Moreau. Seamless improvements were made."_

The moment EDI spoke, all joy seemed to drain out of Joker. "And there's the downside," he said, gesturing to EDI with his head. "I liked the Normandy when she was beautiful and quiet. Now she's got this thing I don't even want to talk about. It's like ship cancer." Even when concerned about an issue about something as important as his ship, the man still found a way to joke about it. Probably why the man was named as he was.

Shepard smiled at EDI's avatar. "I like her so far. I can see EDI being very helpful in our mission."

_"Thank you, Commander,"_ EDI responded. _"I assure you that I will function at optimal capacity in the interest of completing our mission."_

Joker wasn't convinced. "Sure, but what do you do when it decides to shoot us out an airlock?"

EDI didn't comment, and Shepard shook his head. "I'm sure that won't happen." Truthfully, he didn't know if EDI was capable of such a thing, but he hoped not. And even if she was, he needed to inspire confidence in Joker that such an act wouldn't happen.

"Ever the fearless leader, Commander," Joker said. "So that means we're staying? Because I could totally get used to the real leather thing."

Shepard just chuckled. "Good to know you're keeping it all in perspective. Carry on." He looked to EDI and nodded. "I apologize for my helmsman's skepticism. AIs have a checkered past in galactic history."

_"Acknowledged,"_ EDI replied. _"Mr. Moreau's mistrust is well-placed, given his experience."_

Shepard nodded again at her. "I hope you'll prove him wrong, EDI."

_"Thank you, Commander,"_ she replied.

Feeling nothing more to say, Shepard walked out of the cockpit, leaving the AI alone with Joker.

* * *

Shepard took a moment to inspect his quarters at the top of the elevator, extremely pleased to find such an accommodating cabin for his own private use. He took some time exploring and, after a thorough examination, continued his inspection of the Normandy. He took the elevator to Deck 3, where he quickly found an amusing character that served as the cook.

"Commander Shepard, hero of the Citadel! You did humanity proud that day!" The cook saluted, unable to suppress a toothy grin, and Shepard saluted back as he introduced himself. "Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner, and may I say just what an honor it is to serve under your command." The mess sergeant looked to be around fifty, with a hard face and balding head crowned with thinning silver hair. His enthusiasm was a surprise to Shepard, who found himself smiling in the presence of the cook.

"Mess Sergeant, eh?" Shepard looked around the small galley, noting it to be slightly bigger than the last Normandy's. "You're the ship's cook?"

"Among other things," Rupert agreed. "I'm also the facilities technician and custodian. HVAC, plumbing, non-mission-critical electrical. I make sure they're all clean and running."

Shepard tilted his head in doubt. "So the man cleaning the toilets is also preparing the meals?"

"I wash my hands..." Rupert said in defense, though Shepard could tell it was weak. "...most of the time." He had been looking aside in possible shame, but quickly returned his gaze to Shepard. "This ain't no luxury liner. You have to pull your own weight on a Cerberus vessel, and I catch what falls through the cracks." He suddenly laughed, as if entertained by a joke. "Heh...through the cracks."

Shepard didn't get it, but crossed his arms as he looked sternly at the cook. "Wash your hands all the time. Every time. That's an order, Mess Sergeant."

The order was given politely, but Mess Sergeant Rupert knew enough about Alliance military that Shepard was serious. He saluted somewhat doubtfully. "Yes sir. Won't be a problem, sir."

Shepard nodded, smiling again. "Good. You have everything you need, or did Cerberus miss a few things prepping this ship?"

Rupert shrugged, looking around at the assortment of food prep he had lying around. "I make do, but have you ever tried to prepare a decent meal with military provisions?" Shepard didn't answer, but the simple truth was that all marines universally agreed the best way to eat was fast. You didn't always have time to stuff your face before every mission. The mess sergeant continued his rant, oblivious to Shepard's silence as he leaned on the counter. "I'm good, but I'm no miracle worker. Taking down the Collectors is going to be rough business. The crew deserves a few fine meals before they throw themselves into the fire."

Shepard could relate with the man; he had eaten many MREs in his life to know that cardboard with seasoning could replace many of the flavors of MREs. "What do you need? I have some business with the Citadel that I'll be taking care of within the next week."

"I appreciate the offer, Commander," Rupert said, relief evident on his face. "I'll write some stuff down and forward it to you within the next day or so."

Shepard nodded. "Then I won't take any more of your time." He offered the man a salute, to which the mess sergeant returned, before turning to leave. As he turned, he looked through the window of the Med Bay to see a familiar face.

_It can't be..._

But it was. Surprise flooded through Shepard's system as he strode to the Med Bay, and as he stepped inside, he was greeted with the welcome figure of Dr. Karin Chakwas.

"Karin!"

The older woman was startled but, upon seeing her visitor, smiled and stood from her chair to embrace her old Commander. "John! It's so good to see you again!"

The two separated, and Shepard couldn't help but smile as he took Chakwas in. "You look good, Karin. How've the last few years treated you? Better than me, I hope." He said the last with a smile, hoping to put a bit of cheer in her, but if anything, it had the opposite effect.

"I really don't know how I managed the last couple of years, John." Pain colored her voice, and Shepard could see that the last two years were indeed hard on the older woman. "Watching the Normandy crumble with you on board was devastating. To see you alive and in one piece..." She wiped her eye of a threatening tear. "It's nothing short of a miracle."

Shepard rested a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Karin. I'm here."

Chakwas smiled halfheartedly as she waved his attempts of comfort away. "Oh, don't mind me. Us women are so emotional in our older years." She composed herself, smiling back at him with renewed joy. "It really is good to see you, John."

Shepard smiled. "Same here. It's nice to see another trusted face."

Chakwas smiled. "I feel the same. I wish more of the original crew could be here."

That statement brought an idea to Shepard. "If you don't mind me saying so, it's strange to see you on a Cerberus vessel." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "When did you start working for them?"

Chakwas shook her head. "I don't work for Cerberus - I work for you." Her eyes sparked with vigor and determination as she continued, "I was approached by the Illusive Man about half a year after you had died. He claimed to have recovered your body and had almost found a way to save you. I didn't believe it, but he gave me access to a few files that more than convinced me that there was still hope. I wasted no time in applying for an indefinite leave of absence - I could never abandon my post - and signed on to work with Cerberus on the condition that, should you survive, my service was handed over to you. The Illusive Man agreed and brought me aboard. I worked with Ms. Lawson closely to bring you back to life." She sniffed. "It's still too hard to believe sometimes." She shook her head as she returned to the subject. "Being here is unnerving, to be sure. Cerberus hasn't achieved the best reputation out there. But I have faith that your dealings with Cerberus will be ethical, John. I trust you to make the right choices." Chakwas regarded him with a smile.

"All the same, I would like to know why you left the Alliance." His face showed concern, and he hoped Chakwas would come clean with her reasoning. "You've been with the Alliance for years now. Why leave all of a sudden?"

Chakwas took a seat, prompting Shepard to do the same, before she told her tale. "After the Normandy was lost, the surviving crew was reassigned. I was stationed at the Mars Naval Medical Center. A very respectable position, but it wasn't on a starship."

Shepard smiled slightly. "Colonial life isn't for you?"

Chakwas chuckled. "Not really. I've spent most of my life on warships, never knowing what the next mission will bring." Chakwas smiled at herself as she recollected past memories. "I'm used to the hum of the engines, the creaking of bulkheads, that subtle vertigo when the momentum dampeners kick in." She returned to the present, turning her smile to Shepard with a shrug. "Life planetside is just too static. Too boring."

Shepard laughed. "Always the romantic." Chakwas only chuckled, and Shepard's face grew more serious. "There's a very good chance this mission will be a one-way trip." He looked Karin dead in the eye. "Are you prepared for that?"

Chakwas, surprisingly, smiled and nodded. "I've been through the Reclaiming of Shanxi, the Skyllian Blitz...We went through your missions as a Spectre, surviving the Battle of the Citadel and the destruction of the Normandy together." Her smile grew wider. "I've lived a full life. No regrets. I'd like to make sure the crew gets the same opportunity."

Shepard nodded, smiling at her commitment. He hoped all the soldiers under his command would have her level of determination. "I'm glad you feel that way, Karin. I have a feeling we'll need that type of attitude to truly come out of this alive."

"As long as we come out alive," was all Karin said, though her face said she was fine with just the opposite, so long as they made a difference.

Shepard nodded once more before taking in the Med Bay in full. "This medical bay is pretty impressive. Do you have everything you need?"

Chakwas looked out across the Med Bay as well. "I believe so. This medical bay seems very much like the sick bay on the original Normandy, just bigger." She chuckled slightly. "The only thing missing are my private reserves. I even had a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy that I was saving for a special occasion."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I didn't figure you to be a brandy type of gal, Karin."

Chakwas reached over to lightly slap his arm, though she smiled all the same. "Just because I'm highly professional doesn't mean I can't let my hair down every once in a while." Her smile died a little. "It really isn't that big of a deal, anyway, but I had held onto that particular bottle for such a long time. It seems such a waste."

Shepard smiled. "Considering the galaxy's scope, a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy might be hard to come by, but I'll keep a look out for one."

Chakwas chuckled. "You needn't. It's expensive, and we have much larger concerns ahead." Her brow furrowed. "And speaking of larger concerns, as your personal physician, I would recommend a full physical before you see any more combat."

Shepard smiled, but his own brow furrowed in confusion. "Any particular reason why?"

"Being your physician, the Illusive Man cleared me for access to your medical files. They've certainly upgraded you when they brought you back to life, but the files also made me aware of many different cybernetic pieces they've installed into your body to keep you alive." She rose, and Shepard with her, as she activated her omni-tool. "The cybernetics are ground-breaking. As time goes on, they integrate with your body to form a seamless organism. They may be synthetic, but they will be every part your body as your heart or lungs are. I just want to check and make sure they aren't causing any unforeseen complications in your body."

Shepard nodded, and Chakwas directed him to a bed before beginning her scans. "You think these scars are a result of the cybernetics?" he said, gesturing to his face. The scars glowed an orange color, completely unnatural, and that had bothered him slightly ever since waking up.

"I believe so, yes. I won't know much until I run a full body scan." She configured her omni-tool before holding it over Shepard's body. "This will take some time. Relax."

Shepard closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander as Chakwas began her examination. He briefly considered the mission, and their chances of surviving. He knew it was a suicide mission, but at the same time, he felt at peace, knowing he was going to try his best to give humanity a chance. That thought turned him to the people he had met so far aboard the Normandy. In particular, Miranda was the most interesting. She was cold and calculating, but he could tell she was deeply passionate about Cerberus, and knew there was a story there. The fact that she was the Illusive Man's personal agent aboard this mission was another talking point, something he wanted to discuss with her later. How much insight she would share remained to be seen, but if he was going to survive this mission, he needed to see where Miranda was coming from.

Jacob was another interesting contradiction. He and Shepard briefly spoke about their time in the military, and Shepard got a good vibe from the man. They never really spoke about why Jacob had joined Cerberus, though, and Shepard was pining to find out the man's reasons. He was very skilled, that much was sure; Shepard wanted to make sure he knew the man's motives before he got comfortable with him.

Chakwas' voice interrupted his thoughts, bringing him back to the present. "Scans are complete, Commander. Would you like to hear what I've found?"

Shepard nodded as he sat up. "Of course. I need to know what they did to me."

"Physically, you'll notice several improvements," Chakwas began, looking at the holographic report on her omni-tool. It showed a full detailed look at Shepard's innards. "Your muscle density has increased. My assumption would be greater strength as a result. Your bone density has also been improved. Added the fact that your bones are now reinforced with adamantium plating, and your skeleton is nigh indestructible." She tapped a few keys on her omni-tool as she continued. "I've also noticed an enriched cardiovascular system. I doubt you'll ever get winded, Commander, and it might be beneficial for you to experiment holding your breath. You might be surprised at just how much longer you can go now." She chuckled. "Your lungs are much stronger than a normal human being's, and your nervous system has been fine-tuned. I suspect your reaction time has been improved dramatically. Mentally, I wouldn't expect much change at all, if any. The Illusive Man was quite adamant about leaving your facilities intact. He wanted you to be the exact same person you were before you died. Tampering with your mind would have likely changed that." The omni-tool faded, and she regarded the commander with praise. "These are all assumptions until proven in combat, but I fully expect you to notice a vast improvement in many of your capabilities."

Shepard nodded, having already suspected as much. "Thanks, Karin. Anything negative in those scans?"

Chakwas crossed her arms. "There was one minor thing I think you should be aware of." Shepard's raised eyebrow forced her to continue. "Your facial scarring is the result of unfinished medical therapy. Likely the attack at the Lazarus Station that forced Cerberus's hand." She traced a scar on Shepard's face as she continued. "My recommendation is that you keep a positive attitude while on this mission. Negative attitudes, stress and aggressive acts create adverse reactions with your cybernetic implants, while peaceful thoughts and compassionate actions promote healing. If you maintain a positive outlook, I believe your facial scarring will heal on its own." She took a step back to regard him in full. "Otherwise, there is surgical equipment we could use to insulate your cybernetic implants and accelerate your healing regardless of your mental outlook. I have the right tech in mind for the new medical equipment if you wish to consider this option. It might be expensive, however."

She left the option hanging there, and Shepard shook his head with a smile. "I doubt it will be a problem. I'm not the type of person to let anger get the better of me."

Chakwas nodded. "Very well, Commander. Just in case, however, I'll hold on to these specs should we ever need them." She smiled once more before asking, "Was there anything else? I much enjoy the chance to catch up again, but I feel you have much to do to prepare the Normandy for our shakedown."

Shepard nodded. "Right. If you need anything, you let me know, Karin."

She smiled and nodded. "I will, John. Thank you."

* * *

Shepard knocked on the door, waiting for an invitation before walking in. The door slid open and Shepard regarded his XO with interest as she finished up something on a terminal. She turned her gaze to him as he closed the doors behind him, though she didn't stop typing on her holographic keyboard. "Commander. What can I do for you?"

"Just how much trouble can I expect from you, Operative Lawson?" Shepard decided to be blunt, knowing that the lady was down-to-business and to-the-point. "You likely have access to my entire history, and so you can probably guess how I will command this mission. You can also correctly assume that my methods are vastly different from Cerberus, and that may cause trouble for your organization down the line in some way, shape or fashion."

Put on the defensive right from the start, Miranda was, for once, speechless as she considered her answer. Shepard noticed, with pride, that she had stopped everything she was doing and focused her full attention on him. "The amount of 'trouble' you can expect from me is only as much as you bring upon yourself, Commander." On the defensive, Miranda stood to her full height, looking Shepard square in the eye. "My objective is to see this mission to its end, to eliminate the Collector threat once and for all. You are alive because you are the single most important person on this mission. The entire mission revolves around your skills and your ability to properly use them. I understand that your interests lie with humanity as a whole, and I acknowledge your distrust of Cerberus, but I _don't_ intend for you to compromise this mission based on morality or ethics."

Shepard nodded, crossing his arms. "If I make a decision that clearly harms Cerberus, what would your standing orders be?"

Miranda's stone-cold face revealed nothing. "I'm not at liberty to discuss my orders with you. They are from the Illusive Man, and as such are confidential unless he is inclined to share them with you." He could detect a hint of annoyance behind her façade as she continued. "Cerberus is not as evil as you believe. If I can help allay any of your concerns, I'd be more than happy to do so." She gestured for him to sit, and Shepard admired her professionalism as he did so. She followed suit, taking a seat in her chair and clasped her hands in front of her.

Shepard didn't give her time to speak, beginning the discussion himself. "Ms. Lawson, I am the commander of this vessel, as dictated by the Illusive Man. For me to lead this crew into the jaws of Hell itself, I need to make sure that my leadership will not be compromised under _any_ circumstances. Your attachment to Cerberus is what concerns me at the moment." He saw her eyebrow twitch, but her expression remained neutral as he continued. "It should be fairly obvious to an individual such as yourself that we're going to have bumps in the road. My decisions may not reflect the interest of Cerberus, and some of them may even embarrass or set Cerberus back." He cocked his head as he looked at Miranda. "What exactly can I expect from either you or the Illusive Man if that is to happen? For my own benefit, Ms. Lawson. I need to know what I'm getting into if I'm going to be of help to the galaxy."

Miranda took a breath, likely composing her words as she sat back in her chair. "You are Cerberus's most valuable asset at the moment."

Her reply was interrupted by Shepard. "Don't speak about me as if I belong to Cerberus. We're simply working together toward a mutual goal."

Miranda wasn't intimidated, and looked at Shepard directly as she continued to prove it. "_Asset_, Commander, not _agent_. Cerberus is simply employing your talents for the benefit of mankind. You were revived because you alone possess the potential to succeed where others may fail. As long as you don't compromise Cerberus or irreparably damage our structure, you needn't fear of your actions. However, I must warn you against making rash decisions, as any act that may embarrass or negatively impact Cerberus will result in severe backlashing. The Illusive Man continues to hold you as his most valuable asset, but there are other options should you turn out to be more trouble than you're worth."

Shepard nodded. The lines were drawn. "I just want to make sure that you won't be a problem. If I make a decision, I expect you to follow along, despite your own misgivings. That is why the Illusive Man put me in charge." He held her gaze for a moment. "Can I expect that from you? Or will we have a problem?"

Miranda shook her head. "No sir. No problems." He couldn't tell if she were being sarcastic or if she was truly seeing just how serious he was, but he was betting on the former. Despite this, he nodded and changed the subject.

"Good." He thought about allowing a brief smile, but decided a rigid expression was best at the moment. He didn't need to look like a fool CO. He decided to talk about something Miranda was more comfortable with, to put her at ease as well as supply him with a little information. "What is Cerberus's long-term goal?"

Thrown off by the random question, Miranda's facial expression briefly flustered. "The advancement of the human race. Nothing more, nothing less." Shepard remained skeptical, and so the agent continued. "The salarians have their Special Tasks Group. The asari have their legendary commandos for stealth and recon operations. Cerberus is humanity's answer to those organizations."

Shepard shook his head. "But those organizations are regulated by governments. Who keeps Cerberus in check?"

Miranda shook her head. "Nobody. We're privately funded, and our backers trust the Illusive Man to make the right decisions. But he's very clear about our goals: to protect humanity and serve its advancement."

Shepard cocked his head as he scowled at Miranda. "And you've never thought that was wrong? Giving that much power to one man?"

Miranda shook her head. "I've worked with the Illusive Man for many years now, and he's given me no reason to doubt his conviction or resolve."

Unconvinced, Shepard remained quiet on that subject, but at the thought of the Illusive Man's extensive power, Shepard couldn't help but think of the cost it must have taken to bring him back to life, not to mention the cost of the Normandy SR-2. "What kind of resources does Cerberus have?"

Miranda shrugged. "We're very well funded, though I doubt anyone other than the Illusive Man knows exactly how well. Our resources aren't unlimited, though. Reviving you and rebuilding the Normandy was a significant investment. And a significant risk," she added, as if to remind Shepard that his revival was a favor to him, and not merely a necessity.

He ignored the comment. "Is there anything you can tell me about the Illusive Man?"

"Not much that you don't already know." She shook her head. "Even I don't have access to most of his background. And you've seen more of him than most ever do. It's rare for him to become directly involved in missions." She sounded slightly impressed, though Shepard really didn't find it that impressive. "Most of the time, he oversees projects or missions through reports or other agents. But you're something special."

Shepard smiled. "He knows I'm a time bomb. Sooner or later, I might do something that he needs to correct himself."

Miranda didn't rise to the bait. "Whatever else people might say about him, I can assure you he's got humanity's best interests at heart."

Shepard shook his head, unable to believe such commitment from someone in somebody they barely knew anything about. "How can you be sure of that if you know so little about him?"

Miranda looked slightly irked. "I didn't get to where I am without knowing how to gauge people's motives and ambitions. Even from brief encounters." Shepard wasn't convinced, but remained silent as she continued. "He's no saint, and he'd be the first to admit it, but he's committed. Humanity couldn't have a better advocate."

Shepard raised his eyebrows at this but didn't comment. Instead, he changed the subject. "Tell me about yourself, Miranda."

She paused for a moment before she answered. "I guess that's fair. I've spend the last two years learning everything there is to know about you." She sat back in her chair, clasping her hands in front of her as she began. "You should probably know that I've had extensive genetic modification." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Not my decision, but I make the most of it." Shepard could tell there was slight bitterness there, but still remained silent as she continued. "It's one of the reasons the Illusive Man handpicked me. I'm very good at just about anything I choose to do."

Shepard stroked his chin in thought, genuinely curious. "What level of genetic modification are we talking about?" Some people went through genetic modifications to improve themselves, a common practice especially in the military. Vision corrections, removal of genetic defects, greater muscle density, and many others were common among the Alliance.

"It's very thorough," Miranda stated informatively. "Physically, I'm superior in many ways. I heal quickly, and I'll likely live half again as long as the average human. My biotic abilities are also very advanced...for a human," she added nonchalantly, and Shepard understood. Aliens usually had a better grasp and skill in biotics; humans were still new to that playing field. "Add that to some of the best training and education money can buy, and...well...it's pretty impressive, really."

"You certainly don't lack for confidence," Shepard quipped.

"It's just a fact," Miranda said noncommittally. "My reflexes, my strength, even my looks. They're all designed to give me an edge." She shrugged. "No point in hiding from it."

"Sounds like you were designed to be perfect," Shepard commented.

"Maybe, but I'm not," corrected Miranda. "I'm still human, Shepard. I make mistakes like everyone else. And when I do, the consequences are severe. Everyone expects a lot from someone with my...abilities." She sounded reserved, as if she weren't proud of her gifts, and Shepard wondered just how thorough her genetic modifications were. "It's because of those expectations that I make it a priority to do my best at everything I do. It's the reason why I'm trusted to oversee the most dangerous, risky, and technically demanding operations Cerberus undertakes. And it's why I was assigned to you. It's my job to make sure you succeed, Shepard."

Shepard nodded, feeling better about the situation as a whole. He stood and gave Miranda a smile. "I appreciate the clarification, Miranda. I hope we can avoid a conflict of interest while on this mission."

"Agreed, Commander. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

Shepard nodded and left, leaving his XO to finish her report. The commander, meanwhile, had a mission to prepare for.


	2. The Knight

"Give me a readout of Laban, EDI."

"At once, Shepard."

John Shepard reviewed the data of the planet before staring out at Laban as the Normandy circled the planet just out of its gravitational pull. Shepard was leery about getting close until he visually saw the planet and had run scans from a safe distance. He didn't want a storm popping up while they were in the atmosphere. Everything appeared normal, however, and he turned to Joker. "Bring us closer, Joker, but hold up just outside the atmosphere. We'll go in by shuttle."

"Aye aye, Commander." Joker brought the ship closer, homing in on the coordinates the Illusive Man had given Shepard. "No activity on the sensors. Looks like we're the only ones here."

Shepard nodded. "Good. Keep an eye out. I don't want our Collector friends popping up to surprise us again." He turned and walked off the bridge, seeing Miranda and Jacob standing at the end of the CIC, awaiting his orders. "Suit up. It's over one hundred degrees below zero on the surface. Whatever we do down there has to be quick. We'll meet in the cargo hold in five." Both agents nodded, with Jacob saluting, and the three separated to prepare for the drop. Within minutes, all three had grabbed their weapons and were ready at the shuttle, and they wasted no time in boarding. Shepard had his N7 armor, Jacob had a heavy variant of Cerberus Assault armor, and Miranda had black armor on, Cerberus symbol etched on the breastplate. Each had vacuum-sealed helmets, and after they had linked their suits to Shepard's, he gave the go-ahead to Joker.

_"Bay doors are open,"_ Joker affirmed as the bay door opened, the vacuum of space sucking all available oxygen out of the room. _"We are green for shuttle launch."_

Jacob sat at the pilot's seat, engaging the shuttle's engines as Shepard and Miranda sat across from each other in the troop bay. With a jerk, the shuttle rose in the air and flew out of the cargo hold, making a beeline for the coordinates of the anomaly's touchdown. As Jacob flew the shuttle, the three conversed about what they might find on the planet.

"Any idea what this anomaly might be?" Shepard asked both agents.

"No idea, Commander," Jacob called out from the pilot seat. "Mission briefing didn't give a lot of details."

Miranda nodded. "No description of the anomaly in any way," she reaffirmed. "The most we know is what the Illusive Man told you during your briefing." She crossed her legs as she repeated what she knew. "A lightning storm was suddenly seen outside Laban's atmosphere. Some sort of metallic structure was jettisoned from _inside_ the storm onto Laban's surface. Two teams have since been dispatched to investigate this object, and neither team has reported since touchdown.

Shepard nodded. "Then we need to be ready for anything. Let's not make it a third team."

Both agents consented with that statement, and the rest of the flight was made in silence. Atmospheric entry was met with a slight bump, and there was turbulence in the winds of Laban as the shuttle drew ever closer to the anomaly's touchdown.

"Approaching coordinates, Commander," Jacob informed, bringing the shuttle closer to the ground.

Shepard nodded and stood. "Check seals." He ran diagnostics of his own suit as he saw Miranda stand and do the same. A thumbs up confirmed that she was insulated against vacuum and extreme temperatures, and Shepard looked toward the cockpit to see the same for Jacob.

"There seem to be ruins to the west of the crash, Commander," Jacob called out from the cockpit, and Shepard stepped behind Jacob's seat to look at the viewing screen in front of him. "Just over that ridge. And there are the other shuttles from the last two teams," Jacob said, pointed to a fading group of stone buildings that became hidden from sight as they descended, before gesturing to the other two shuttles not unlike their own sitting parked on the planet. Shepard filed the information away for later and holstered his gear onto his suit's magnetic locks on his back as he felt the shuttle thump on the ground. Jacob soon joined them in the troop bay, grabbing his own gear, and when the two agents had readied themselves, Shepard briefed them with his own set of orders.

"Alright. We don't know what to expect down here. It's probably the worst-case scenario for us to go in blind. That's why it's very important to stay sharp and stay in touch." He pulled his M-8 Avenger assault rifle from its holster, the compact weapon elongating to its full length as he checked it over. "We're fortunate enough to land on the dark side of the planet. That puts Laban at around -76 degrees Celsius. That's over 100 degrees below zero in Fahrenheit. Our suits can protect us from that kind of cold, but within two Earth hours, we'll be on the bright side of the sun, raising Laban's temperature to over 700 degrees Fahrenheit. I want to be off this rock before that happens. We'll scout the crash and those shuttles. Maybe answers will turn up. We might have to check out those ruins too."

Both agents nodded, with Miranda voicing their acknowledgement. "Understood, Commander." She had drawn her M-3 Predator heavy pistol and was checking the thermal clips while Jacob was checking his M-23 Katana shotgun. When both nodded, Shepard turned to the door and punched the release button. The door slid open and he stepped out into the freezing air of Laban, assault rifle at the ready.

They had landed on a raised hill overlooking the anomaly's touchdown fifty yards away. Shepard checked his surroundings before taking point and leading them forward towards the metallic structure. As he neared it, he began to recognize it as some sort of escape pod, though unlike any he had ever seen. It had a symbol painted on the surface that was alien to Shepard, and as they closed the distance, he questioned the agents about it. "Ever seen that symbol before?"

They stopped mere feet from the pod as Miranda shook her head. "Never." The symbol was blue, and centered around a tower with a star at the top. The tower was flanked by two wings, and the three could only guess at its meaning or origin. "It isn't of human design..." Miranda commented, "or any other space-faring species that I know of." She looked at Shepard. "And I know a lot."

Shepard turned to Jacob, and the man shrugged. "No idea, Commander."

Shepard nodded and jerked his head to the pod. "Check the pod. Make sure it's vacant." Jacob nodded and set to it, shotgun ready as Shepard looked around. "No sign of the other two teams." He saw footprints leading off to his left, over a hill and out of sight, but nothing that indicated they had met trouble. Jacob returned a moment later.

"Nothing, Commander. It's empty. Footprints lead off over that ridge. Seem to have come from inside."

"Anything in there that might give us a clue as to who it belongs to?"

Jacob shrugged. "Never seen an escape pod set up like that, Commander. No idea at a glance." Shepard walked over and the security chief led him to the entrance of the pod, gesturing inside. "The design isn't human, but can seat one comfortably. Doesn't look like asari, quarian, or batarian, and it can't be turian or salarian." He fell silent as Shepard inspected the inside of the ship before the commander called Miranda over.

"Take a look inside and see if you can make heads or tails of this thing." He turned to Jacob. "Keep a watch." The man saluted and walked away as Miranda stepped forward. "See if you can get the onboard computer online as well," Shepard said as Miranda holstered her gun. "Maybe it'll tell us something." Miranda nodded and crawled inside, sitting in the seat of the pod and getting her bearings. Shepard turned from the pod to continue surveying the landscape. The moons of Laban reflected little light from their orbital star, and so Shepard couldn't make out much in the current light. He felt the urge to follow those footprints - he was almost certain they led into the ruins - but the disappearance of two experienced Cerberus teams kept him in check, at least until he knew what he was dealing with.

He heard Miranda sigh in frustration a few minutes later. "Nothing, Commander. Computer has been fried." She unfolded herself from the pod. "Likely destroyed in the crash."

Shepard nodded. "Let's go check out those shuttles. I doubt we'll find anything, but we have to be sure there aren't any survivors." The others nodded and, together, the three made their way to both shuttles. Nothing indicated the teams had run into trouble; the shuttles were quiet and empty, no damage visible on the hull, and no trace of blood on the inside. Shepard couldn't understand just what had happened.

Miranda shook her head. "Nothing here either, Commander." She had just finished checking the onboard computers in an attempt to retrieve any reports that hadn't made it off planet. "All of their reports are ordinary. There's nothing to indicate anything happened here."

Shepard nodded. "Then we follow those footprints and be ready for anything. Jacob, take point." Jacob nodded and started off in the direction the footprints had went, Miranda following him and Shepard bringing up the rear. Shepard intended to keep a look out for anything that might want to surprise them as they tracked the footprints, though he honestly doubted anything was hiding in this barren wasteland. The only thing he was concerned about was the possibility of a thresher maw nearby. The teams disappeared without a trace, and a thresher maw could very well be the reason behind it. Nothing at the crash site indicated a thresher maw's involvement, but they had only just touched down and hadn't seen the surrounding area. And then there was the possibility of Reaper involvement. The Illusive Man didn't say he was adamant about the Reapers being responsible for this, but he didn't rule it out either. Shepard couldn't imagine what the Reapers were capable of that could wipe out two teams without a trace, but he had a notion it wasn't the Reapers. He figured their involvement would be more noticeable. An experienced mercenary team could take out two teams without them getting a message out. The possibilities of what lay on this planet, waiting for them, was endless. He kept his finger tight on the trigger.

They topped the hill, and Jacob stopped the group as he surveyed the area below. "Footprints lead off into the ruins, Commander." Jacob knelt down to get a better look at the footprints, his hands lightly tracing the outlines in the dirt. "Three different sets, it looks like. The most recent two are Cerberus. But I don't recognize the oldest set." He looked up at Shepard as Miranda knelt down to look. "Orders?"

It was a futile question, he knew; of course they were going down there. There was possible Reaper involvement, and besides that, two experienced teams of soldiers had disappeared. Whatever had taken them out was dangerous and needed to be dealt with, or was valuable and needed to be recruited. Jacob wasn't asking for orders. He was asking if the commander could own up to his reputation. "We get down there and find out what the hell killed those two teams," Shepard said. "Form up. We're going in."

"Understood, Commander," Jacob said, a hard edge in his voice, as if he were ready for anything down there.

Shepard took point, and the three made their way down the slope, following the footprints as they led the group to an entrance to the ruins. The dirt turned to stone flooring before ending at a cavernous doorway, the entrance shrouded in darkness. Shepard stopped before the entrance, cycling through night vision and thermal vision to check for dangers, and nodded when he found nothing. Without a sound, he entered the ruin.

He switched back to NV almost immediately, the darkness so complete inside, but he alternated between that and thermal to track the heat signature of the footprints on the floor. They led him to a fork in the path, and though the footprints set off to the right, Shepard stopped.

Miranda, the model of efficiency, noticed at once. "What's wrong?" she asked through their radio link. "Why are we stopping?"

"The footprints clearly mark the way for us," Shepard said, activating his omni-blade and stepping to the left wall. "But I've learned from experience to always make a backup plan." He carved an arrow into the wall, pointing in the direction they just came from. Satisfied, he deactivated the omni-tool and drew his weapon. "C'mon, let's keep going." They rounded the corner and followed the footprints through the winding tunnels of the ruins. Sometimes, the footprints would lead off, only to circle back at a dead end, and only Miranda's uncanny sense of direction kept them on track. The whole while they followed the footprints, Shepard's thoughts wandered.

A thresher maw seemed out of the question now, seeing that the Cerberus teams had made it to the ruins. He only saw footprints leading into the structure, and unless there was another exit, it was likely they didn't leave alive. That left his theories of merc teams or Reaper involvement. He didn't see much else that could take out two Cerberus teams. But what had the anomaly in space been about? How did it tie in to this? And what was that escape pod? Who did it belong to? As Shepard tried to connect the dots, they seemed to sound stranger and stranger, and he finally gave up. The answers, it seemed, would only present themselves by finding those two teams, or their killer.

Shepard finished carving an arrow into the wall and continued following the footprints, beginning to feel lost. That was the twelfth marker he had left. He had no idea the ruins were so expansive, and halfway through it, he had begun to feel the sensation of going deeper underground. It was strange, then, when he saw a light filtering into the tunnel, and he unconsciously increased speed as he closed the distance with the end of the tunnel, intent on seeing where this light was coming from. Maybe he had been imagining his descent into the ground.

He couldn't have been more surprised, then, when he stepped out into a huge room, large enough to hold the Normandy inside. The roof was open, allowing Laban's moons to brighten up the area with their eerie light. A huge emplacement of stones stood in the middle of the room, and at first glance, it seemed to Shepard like an altar of some sort. Sand and dirt covered almost every inch of the room, and if not for the bodies littering the floor, Shepard would have said that this room could have been untouched for thousands of years.

Of course, Cerberus had been here. Even as he looked around the room, he counted no less than six bodies scattered about. This was as far as they got. Most unusual, though, was the wounds they had suffered. There were _pieces_ of them lying around.

Shepard steeled himself as he nodded toward the bodies. "Check the bodies, Miranda. Jacob, sweep the room." There was an edge in his voice, he knew, but it was due to an efficient and ruthless mindset; whatever had done this might still be around, and he wasn't getting caught unaware. Both agents nodded and set to work. Shepard took the opposite side of the room that Jacob was securing, checking to make sure the killer wasn't around, and found a doorway on the other side of the room. He silently padded over to it, his back to the wall, before swinging around and checking the hallway. Nothing. Whoever had killed these men and women was gone, at least for the moment. Shepard didn't know how long that would stay that way though, and so after they had finished their sweep, he kept Jacob on alert as he went to Miranda. "Any idea who killed them?"

Miranda shook her head, and when she spoke she was unusually alarmed. "No. This injury here," she pointed to a hole in the dead agent's torso, "it's unlike anything I've ever seen." She looked to Shepard. "Something went through this man's chest. Completely cauterized it." She looked back at the wound. "It's the cleanest gunshot wound I ever saw...but I'm not sure that's what it is."

Shepard's brow furrowed. "What else could it be?"

Miranda shook her head again. "I have no idea. It went through his shields and armor and burned right through him." She looked around the room as she added, "And there's no blood anywhere." She looked back at him. "Shepard, I don't know of any weapon that can kill a man like this without drawing blood. Even the geth don't have that kind of technology."

Shepard was silent, looking at the body for a time as he tried to put the questions to possible answers. Nothing made sense. This was beginning to form a confusing puzzle. He moved to another body, this one also bearing a hole in the chest. More interesting, however, was the severed arm laying a few feet away. Shepard picked up the arm, looking at the wound and noted that it was also cauterized. "This is strange," he said, and Miranda joined him. "The arm is cauterized, like the chest wound, but there's no way his arm could have been severed with gunfire. This looks like it's been cut."

Miranda shook her head. "That's impossible. No blade can cut so cleanly through a man, let alone shields and armor. Not even the omni-blades." She took the arm, studying the wound with a detached curiosity before setting it down. "This doesn't make any sense, Shepard."

Shepard nodded and stood. "We'll keep asking ourselves questions until we find out what did this." He looked to Jacob, who nodded an all-clear, and nodded to Miranda. "Let's go." He walked through the doorway leading further into the ruin, trying to suppress the feeling of anticipation welling up inside of him. No merc group could do to those men what he had seen. He was beginning to think he might be dealing with something of Reaper design, and though he had already considered it a sort of destiny for him to combat the Reapers, the possibility of one being so near was disconcerting. Catching himself in his own anxiety, he pushed his feelings down and concentrated on the mission. He couldn't risk showing an ounce of fear to these two, and so pushed on with determination.

Thermal imaging revealed only one set of footprints now, and Shepard found himself too distracted to mark the walls with directions now. The footprints led them through a winding maze of corridors, and Shepard was beginning to wonder if they would ever find the killer when they came upon another room, this one smaller than the last.

It was big enough for maybe fifty people to stand in comfortably. You could probably get two shuttles in here if needed. The room was made out of the same stone as the rest of the ruins, lending a drab brown color to it. Nothing else was extraordinary about the room except its inhabitant. Shepard, Jacob and Miranda all brought up their guns in an instant, ready for anything but assuming nothing as they took in the lone occupant of the room.

It was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, hands in its lap and head bowed in what seemed to be a meditative stance. It was completely encased in a grayish armor, its head hidden behind helmet with a T-visor, not unlike many custom suits of armor found in the Terminus Systems. Most peculiar of all was the robe enclosing the armor. It was a simple brown robe, completely unassuming in every way, a hood drawn over the helmet to enshroud it in shadow, the T-visor glowing blue in the darkness. The person, without attempting to, made for an intimidating figure.

Shepard waited, gun aimed at the figure, but said nothing as he regarded it. Both Miranda and Jacob remained still, though the security chief fidgeted, clearly anxious. Miranda, to her credit, was stoic in her stance. Shepard waited for almost half a minute before he lowered his gun, though he still kept his finger tight on the trigger. He didn't know if the figure had noticed him or not; it continued to sit with its head bowed, and never moved. He decided to start with a greeting. "Hey." The figure moved almost imperceptibly, and Shepard took that as a sign of acknowledgement. _At least it knows I'm here,_ he thought. "I'm Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy. Who are you?"

The figure raised its head, visor locked on Shepard's face, though it didn't move to stand. "Commander Shepard," the robed figure said, a feminine voice emanating from the helmet. "I am Olinda Varr, Jedi Master of the Republic"

Of all the things he was expecting, that wasn't it. Shepard blinked and looked to Miranda, who only shook her head, before turning back to the figure. "Jedi Master?"

The figure was silent for a moment, as if contemplating something, before speaking again, this time more calculated. "What year is it, Commander?"

_This is getting stranger_, Shepard thought to himself as he regarded the random question. "2185 CE."

The figure's head tilted, as if in confusion. "CE?"

"Common Era." Shepard glanced back at Miranda, who only shrugged, though didn't voice her opinion.

"Hm..." the figure said, head bowed again, and remained silent.

Shepard allowed it to continue thinking uninterrupted for almost a minute before he took the initiative. He didn't know what the figure was going on about, asking for the year, but he had a more pressing matter here. "We found bodies back there. Are you responsible for that?"

It was silent for a moment before answering, "Yes."

"Why?" Shepard asked.

Another pause. "They were hostile. I was forced to protect myself." The figure's head rose to look at Shepard again, and Shepard could feel a lingering doubt as he gazed into that visor. "Will you force me to do the same?"

Shepard shook his head. "Not if I can avoid it." He paused for a moment, and when it became evident that the figure, Olinda, wouldn't reply, he began again. "If I put my weapon away, are you going to give me any trouble?"

"Only if you give me cause to," was the only reply.

Shepard nodded and, despite his better judgment, holstered his weapon. He nodded to the others to do the same; they looked like they wanted to protest, but didn't complain and only after they had done so did he turn back to Olinda. "Are you the one who crashed here?"

"Yes," Olinda said, offering nothing more in reply.

"Do you know anything about that lightning storm above this planet's atmosphere? You came right out of it."

The figure was silent for a moment before she answered. "I have theories. Nothing more."

Shepard expected more from the woman, but was met only with silence. This was getting weird, and they only had so long before sunrise. He needed to get her on the ship before thorough questioning could begin. "I have more questions for you, Miss Varr. I'd like to ask them aboard my ship. I won't force you to go with me," Shepard said, "but I'd be more than happy to give you a lift. You have any place to go?" He heard Jacob's sudden intake of air, but ignored it. He was trusting the man to be professional.

The woman finally stirred from her position, even if it was only to clasp her hands together. "No, Commander. I have no need to go anywhere. I would, however, like to board your ship. This world, while barren, is too dangerous for me to remain here much longer." In one swift motion, she stood, and Shepard saw that she was slightly shorter than him. "Shall we go?"

Shepard nodded. "Jacob, take point. Olinda will be right behind you, with Miranda and I bringing up the rear." To his credit, the chief nodded and began the trek back through the ruins, though a brief glimpse of his eyes told Shepard the man was confused, and not a little wary. He switched to helmet communications, silent to all but those wearing a helmet and linked to their frequency. "Keep your guard up. She said she won't give us trouble, but I don't want that making us sloppy." He answered Miranda's unspoken question soon after. "We'll get her to the ship. If she really did take out two teams on her own, we're no match for her. We need to get her around other guns."

"You think that's a good idea, Commander?" Jacob answered, continuing at the same pace.

"It's the best one I've got," Shepard replied, keeping his eyes pasted on the man in front of him. "I don't know why, but I get two vibes from her. I know she's dangerous. But I also think we can trust her." They turned a corner into the huge room with the Cerberus bodies as Shepard addressed Miranda. "What do you think, Miranda?" She said she had a knack for being able to gauge a person's motives even from brief encounters.

Surprisingly, she agreed. "I don't get the feeling that she's dangerous. At least, not without provocation. I think we can trust her, at least for now."

Whatever Jacob's thoughts, he kept them to himself. The mysterious woman did the same, though she had no idea the private conversation was being held. The three maintained radio silence the rest of the way back to the shuttle, and their trip back to the Normandy was just as apprehensive as it was to the planet. Miranda and Shepard sat on one side of the troop bay, Olinda Varr on the other, and though they couldn't see past her visor, they knew she was watching them. Shepard thought about asking the woman questions, but forced himself to wait until they got to the ship.

Shepard, helmet still on, linked up to the Normandy's bridge. "_Commander, that you?"_ Joker spoke through the link.

"It is, Joker." Shepard's eyes briefly glanced at Olinda as he relayed an order. "We're bringing in someone found on the surface. Advise everyone aboard the Normandy that under _no _circumstances are they to acknowledge her. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action."

The serious edge in his voice was not lost on Joker. _"Yes sir. Everyone here will be notified."_

"Good," Shepard said. "No further orders. We're on our way back."

_"Aye aye, Commander, on intercept course for pickup."_

Shepard dropped the link and continued watching Olinda, the armored figure bringing more questions to his mind than answers.

* * *

Shepard exited the shuttle with haste, waiting until everyone else had done so before closing the shuttle up. He led them to the elevator, and after he had punched the button for Deck 4 did he turn to his team. "Miranda, Jacob, escort Miss Varr to the conference room and wait for me there. I'll be along shortly," he ordered, activating the voice module for the mysterious man's benefit. He turned to Olinda. "I'm sorry, Miss Varr, but I'm going to have to ask that you go along with this. At least for now. We're on a sensitive mission, and I don't want the rest of my crew distracted by your presence until we know more about you."

To his relief, the woman nodded. "I understand, Commander. As long as you give me no cause to do so, I will not be a problem."

"Do you want security there as well, Commander?" Jacob asked on a private channel.

Shepard had to keep from shaking his head, or else give away the fact that they were having a conversation in private. "No. I don't think she'll be a problem." To Varr, Shepard nodded and stepped out onto Deck 4, confident the two agents would maintain professionalism in the woman's presence until he arrived to question her. He passed through the small hallway between the main deck and engineering, stepping into view of Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriella Daniels. The hiss of the airlock warned them of his presence, and both turned and saluted crisply as Ken spoke for them both. "What can we do for you, Commander?" the man asked, his voice strongly accented from Irish descent.

Shepard returned the salute before removing his helmet, cradling it under one arm. "I understand that you, Donnelly, specialize in power control systems, and that you, Daniels, handle the propulsion systems. Does your training encompass escape pods and their general layouts?"

Gabby shrugged. "We weren't specifically trained to know much about them. We get the general idea, but it's not our specialty. Is something wrong with them?"

Shepard shook his head. "No, we found an escape pod of foreign design on the planet. I want to get an idea of how the thing works. Chief Taylor and Operative Lawson didn't recognize the layout, and I'm wondering if anyone here could."

"If anyone would, Rupert might," Donnelly interjected. "The man's responsible for general maintenance, and I know that includes the escape pods."

Shepard nodded. "EDI, can you tell Sergeant Gardner to report to the cargo hold on Deck 5? Have him suit up. He's going planetside. Also, have Chief Taylor handpick four of his best security men. They'll be escorting the mess sergeant."

"Of course, Shepard," EDI replied.

Shepard turned to the engineers. "You two suit up, too. Your expertise might be valuable, and so I'm sending you two down there as well. Meet me in the cargo hold in five for your briefing."

Both engineers saluted with a 'Yes sir!' and Shepard nodded and left, taking the elevator back down to the cargo hold.

"Joker, bring us into the atmosphere. I'm sending a team groundside, and they're going to need direct access to the cargo hold." Joker confirmed, and Shepard stepped out into the cargo bay. He stood near the shuttle, his mind going over everything he had seen, until he saw Rupert and his escorts step off the elevator with the engineers. Each was dressed in black armor with the Cerberus symbol engraved on the chest. As they neared Shepard, each one saluted. "Orders, Commander?" Rupert asked.

Shepard walked the length of them as he spoke, hands behind his back. "Fifteen minutes ago, Operative Lawson, Chief Taylor and myself picked up someone on the planet of Laban. She had crashed there for unknown reasons, and had taken refuge in nearby ruins. Her escape pod is at the crash site. None of the ground team could recognize the design of the pod. It is my belief that this pod holds valuable information, either through the onboard computer or through its design. It is your job to find this pod, learn all you can about it, and record your findings for me. If possible, I want this thing brought aboard so we can study it more in-depth. Sergeant Gardner." The man straightened at the sound of his name. "I understand your duties as maintenance officer extend to escape pods, correct?"

The cook nodded. "Yes sir. I can take a pod apart and put it back together in three hours. Give or take," he added somewhat informally, and Shepard smiled at him.

"Good. You have two. When those two hours are up, the crash site will be within Laban's solar day. The surface temperature will skyrocket from its current -70 degrees Celsius to a balmy 384 degrees Celsius." He paused to let that sink in. "That's over 700 degrees Fahrenheit, for those of you who can't do the math." He looked again to Rupert. "Sergeant Gardner, do everything you can to get that escape pod on my ship. I want to figure out if it belongs to anyone, and if so, who they are and what they're capable of." He paused and, when they didn't ask any questions, nodded. "Double-check your equipment; we'll drop you shortly." He waited with them until Joker had relayed that they had approached the crash site, replaced his helmet and opened the cargo bay doors. "Get it done, people!" Shepard yelled as Rupert, the engineers, and the security squad ran out into Laban's sandy desert, the pod just visible beyond the hill they were settled on.

"EDI, get a security detail here to guard the doors. This place may still be uninhabited, but I'm not taking chances." EDI confirmed his order as he walked back to the elevator and selected Deck 2 as his destination. When the elevator opened, he saw the detail awaiting at the elevator. They saluted, and he briefed them before they stepped onto the elevator, snapping a final salute to them before rounding the corner and walking through the armory doors to get to the conference room.

He entered, taking in both Miranda and Jacob standing at opposite sides of the central table. Olinda Varr was standing at the opposite end, hands clasped behind her back with her face still concealed by her helmet. Miranda had her arms crossed, staring at the woman intently, and Jacob stood watching her as well, cradling a shotgun in his arms. Shepard walked to the end closest to him, set his helmet down on the table and waited for the door to close before he began.

"Miss Varr, I apologize for all this running around," Shepard started. "As I said below, we're on a sensitive mission, and I have to enforce security as much as possible."

The woman nodded. "I understand. It was no problem."

Shepard nodded back. "If you don't mind, could I ask you to remove your helmet? I'd like to see who I'm speaking to."

After a moment's hesitation, the woman reached up and took off her helmet, placing it on the table in front of her. At once, Shepard noticed she wasn't human, but then, there wasn't much of a difference between the race she was and humans. She had dark green skin, with tattoos along the bridge of her nose and down the sides of her cheeks. More tattoos flowed along the sides and front of her neck, and Shepard suspected she had them all over her body. Aside from that, though, she had very humanoid features. Her hair flowed like a human's, thick and dark black, her nose was small and cute, and her lips full. Her face was beyond beautiful, but her eyes held the most interest for Shepard. He had seen eyes like that, eyes that had seen war and death. She was a fighter, that much he knew.

Shepard searched for a starting point, but couldn't quite figure out what to ask first. There were so many questions in his head, it was a task just to sort them out. "Alright, Miss Varr...I guess the first thing I want to ask you is what you know about that lightning storm just outside the planet's atmosphere."

"What would you like to know?" she asked, her voice much quieter than expected.

Shepard leaned on the table, hands gripping the edge as he clarified. "We were sent to investigate what appeared to be a lightning storm just outside Laban's atmosphere. Space phenomenon are a common enough occurrence, but what struck us as strange was the fact that _something_ came _out_ of it. Your escape pod," he finished. He shrugged. "What can you tell us about it?"

Olinda sucked in a breath of air as she stared at Shepard. "Well, what I can tell you is that you won't believe me very easily, if at all." She began pacing, trailing a finger down the table as she began with her story. "I was on the run. There were... a group of people out to kill me. Their search for me had pushed me to the outer reaches of the galaxy, where they found me in a remote system attempting to rest." She looked up in thought as she recollected her memories. "There was a battle. They had several cruisers and frigates against my one lone ship. I had little chance to survive if I were to stand and fight, but I was tired of running. I had been chased across the galaxy for almost a year, and was ready to end it once and for all." She shrugged, and Shepard could see that the act was to reinforce the stupidity of her next statement. "I charged them." She shook her head as she herself must have thought it stupid. "They unloaded everything they had at me, intending to kill me once and for all. My skills proved superior, however, as I evaded their attacks time and time again. I drew them to the nearby star, intending to use its radiation to fry their sensors in an attempt to give me an advantage." She nodded. "It did. I crippled many ships and destroyed others entirely through precision strikes to critical systems." She hesitated, drawing a collective interest to herself as she thought upon a single act within that battle. "Then the unthinkable happened."

"I don't know why they did it - desperation or fury or something else, I don't know - but two of the cruisers suddenly unleashed every missile they had at the star. They detonated within its core, and the star collapsed on itself." She shook her head slowly as her gaze looked at the table, though her eyes didn't see it. "I saw it as it happened, and I didn't even know what to think. Part of me was thinking how foolish they were, but... part of me was glad. It was finally over."

She looked up. "It wasn't to be. The star's death formed a singularity. Ships at the edge of the superstructure were destroyed, crushed by the overwhelming gravity. I tried to escape, thinking this another chance, but the gravity caught my ship and began pulling me in. In a futile attempt, I tried jettisoning my escape pod away, thinking the force of the launch would push me beyond the singularity's reach. It failed, and I was left to die in the small pod, waiting the black hole to crush me." She shrugged. "I didn't know what it would feel like to be crushed within a black hole, but I was ready. I had fought as best I could, and resigned myself to death long ago." She shook her head doubtfully. "It never came, though. I was expecting it within a few seconds, but an entire minute went by and all I felt was a small bump. I had no idea what was happening, and my computer had been destroyed in the firefight, so I couldn't take a reading of my surroundings." She shrugged again. "I just waited, wondering what was going to happen. I couldn't have waited for more than a few more minutes when I felt my escape pod crash on the planet."

Everyone had been silent until now, allowing the woman to speak her story. At this revelation, however, Miranda spoke up for clarification. "Wait a moment, you say you landed on Laban _after_ being caught in a black hole's gravity? And that you landed only a few minutes after you were caught in its gravity?" She nodded, and Miranda shook her head. "That's impossible. A black hole that close to Laban would have destroyed the entire system. Not only would you not have been able to survive, but we wouldn't have been able to find you." She looked at Shepard, crossing her arms. "What she's suggesting is impossible."

Shepard furrowed his brow as he considered Olinda. "I hate to say it, Miss Varr, but she's right. It does sound pretty farfetched. There were no black holes in the Enoch system when I picked you up."

Olinda nodded. "I was afraid as much." She leaned on the table. "As I said, what I think is going to be hard to believe, but I have no other idea how to explain what happened to me." She hesitated, as if she didn't fully believe her own explanation, before telling them. She was right.

Shepard didn't believe it.

"I believe that when the star collapsed, it formed a sort of... gateway... to this universe." She looked to them to judge their reactions as she continued. "I _know_ that system's star collapsed into a singularity, but I _don't _know how I survived. When I stepped out of the escape pod onto the planet, I knew I didn't recognize it. Your weapons are different, your armor is different... Even your ship looks unfamiliar to me. The design is different from every other ship I've seen in the galaxy. When I fought those teams on the planet's surface, they mentioned that they were part of a group called Cerberus. I had never heard of such a group before." She held up her hands in confusion as she looked to them all. "Everything I've seen since stepping out onto that planet has been strange and unfamiliar to me."

"You say you're from another universe?" Jacob asked, as surprised as Shepard felt. "How's that possible?"

"It's not," Miranda interrupted before Olinda could answer. "We've never seen anything like this before. It can't be real. Perhaps you injured your head in the crash."

Olinda shook her head. "I've considered the possibility of cranial trauma. I'm not suffering from dementia or amnesia. I know what I remember, and nothing here is as it was in my memories." She shrugged. "I'll submit to any medical examinations you deem necessary, but I know I'm not crazy. I think I'm in another time or universe, because I _know_ I'm not in my own."

"How are you so sure?" Shepard asked, willing to give this woman the benefit of doubt. His tone in no way reflected his skepticism, and Olinda appeared to find relief in that.

"In my own time, there was a bitter war between my own kind and those that called themselves Sith. The events I described for you were the waning years of the war. By that time, every planet was under their rule. I was the last of my kind, and they used every resource they had to find and kill me so that their rule was absolute. As long as I survived, their existence was threatened."

"How?" Jacob asked. "Are you some sort of politician or something?"

Olinda shook her head. "No. It's not so much myself that threatened their existence as much as what I represented. I was the last of what they call 'Jedi'." She looked to each of them in turn. "Have you ever heard of us?" All three shook their heads, and Olinda nodded. "That's another reason I know I'm not from your time. Even though the Sith had effectively wiped out my order, _everyone_ knew of the Jedi." She began pacing again. "And that's not all that led me to believe this wasn't my own time. The Cerberus groups knew nothing of what I tried to describe to them. They didn't know any of the planets I named, races I described, or governments I knew. They expressed general surprise when they saw my lightsaber, and yet they appeared advanced enough in technology that I began to believe they weren't just an isolated group of humans. If they were hermits, I could understand them not knowing what I was talking about, but they weren't. They looked as if they had traveled the stars and had seen much. For them to not know what I was talking about was enough for me to know that I wasn't in my own time anymore."

"What's a lightsaber?" Jacob asked.

"A weapon Force-users wield," Olinda simply explained, pulling her own from her belt and holding it out for them to see. "Put simply, it's a laser sword." She thumbed the sword on, and with a hum, the blue blade sprang to life. The three visibly flinched as they stared at the sword, wide-eyed. "It consists of a blade of pure plasma emitted from this hilt and suspended in a force containment field. The field is what allows the blade to keep its shape, as well as containing the immense heat of the weapon to just beyond the blade itself." She thumbed the weapon off before replacing it on her belt. "It is a weapon my people are known for."

The short demonstration was convincing enough to Shepard that this woman was not who she seemed, and that she might _not_ be crazy. "Alright. So you're not from this time." He shrugged while looking at Miranda. "Crazier things have happened. The Reapers are evidence of that." Miranda shook her head, though it didn't look as if her views were holding up long against the evidence before her. Shepard turned back to Olinda as the Jedi looked to him. "Miss Varr, I believe you when you say you went through that singularity and popped up in our time." She nodded at Shepard, looking visibly relieved, and Shepard continued. "I think the only thing we have to do now is figure out what's going to happen to you. Can you think of a way to return to your own time?"

Olinda looked slightly disappointed as she shook her head. "No, I cannot."

Shepard nodded again, figuring that was the case. "I can't guarantee that I can help you in that department. Time travel was, until now, a feat only seen in science fiction novels and vids. We just might not possess the technology to get you back to your own time, and I doubt we're going to try and replicate your first jump." Olinda spared him a smile as he continued. "However, I do have a proposition for you, if you'll hear me out."

Olinda nodded, though her hand drifted toward her stomach. "I would love to hear it, Commander, but is there a possibility I could find something to eat? I haven't eaten since crashing on that planet three days ago."

Shepard nodded. "That shouldn't be a problem." He looked to Jacob. "Can you escort Miss Varr to the mess? I'll be along shortly."

"Yes sir," Jacob said. "Miss Varr, if you'll come with me?" He gestured for the woman to follow him, and the two started off for the mess.

As Jadon was walking by, Shepard stopped her. "Miss Varr, could I also ask that you speak to no one of this? I want to hear your entire tale before everyone else."

Olinda nodded. "Of course, Commander. I won't speak to anyone."

Shepard nodded and let them go before looking to Miranda. "I need you to clear Deck 3 for us. I'm going to change out of my armor and meet you there. We're going to have a chat with Miss Varr as she eats, and I don't want anyone eavesdropping."

Miranda nodded. "Of course, Commander." They exited the conference room and walked through the armory, where Miranda gave her weapons to Shepard before she exited the room. Shepard placed the weapons back in their respective lockers and logged their return, noting that Jacob still hadn't returned his own weapons. _Probably still wary about Olinda,_ Shepard thought. It was a good reason to remain armed in the ship, but Shepard wanted to inspire a sense of trust in the woman, and so decided to deposit his weapons. Miranda obviously wanted to form that same sense of trust, as she had given her weapons to Shepard for deposit before heading down to Deck 3.

Shepard began to feel like he could depend on Miranda, if not fully trust her. His few interactions with her were cordial at best, but they always seemed to think along the same lines. He knew that would change one day, as he would inevitably make a decision against Cerberus' interests, and she would undoubtedly say something to the contrary about it, but at the moment, he felt a comfortable working-relationship with the woman. He hoped that, by including her in almost every decision he made, like a true CO would do with an XO, he could form a bond of trust with her that would make her see right about Cerberus. He could only hope, though.

Jacob was an easier matter to Shepard. The man wanted to make a difference, but hated red tape. He sounded like Garrus, and Shepard suspected the man's loyalties with Cerberus were deeply tied with his morals. He was interested in seeing just what Jacob would do when Cerberus crossed a line somewhere. It would happen; Shepard had seen too much of their experiments to think otherwise.

Having finished logging the weapons in the armory terminal, Shepard made for the elevator, where he rode to his private cabin, changed out of his armor for a crewman jumpsuit, and rode the elevator back to Deck 3. He stepped out onto the Crew Deck and turned for the mess, pleased to find it empty save for Olinda eating from a tray at the mess table, Miranda sitting across from her. "Where's Jacob?" he asked as he looked around, expecting him to be getting himself something to eat.

"I sent him away," Miranda explained. "I figured this was a conversation for our ears only."

Shepard understood, though he hoped the security chief did as well. "Good call," Shepard praised as he sat next to her, watching Olinda eat. She ate politely but swiftly, her hunger having consumed her for many days. She paused only long enough to greet Shepard before returning to her tray, and Shepard gave her a few moments to eat in peace before he began to ask his questions.

"So," he began as Olinda pushed her tray away. "You're a Jedi." Olinda nodded, and Shepard shrugged. "What exactly is that?"

Olinda crossed her arms and leaned on the table as she considered her answer. "I suppose the closest thing I could compare them to would be a sort of religious order of knights." Her gaze alternated between Miranda and Shepard as she explained. "Our order was formed on basic principles we think are necessary to preserve peace and justice in the galaxy. From an early age, children with promise are taught to preserve life, to bring about peace, to ensure justice reigns, and to protect the innocent. It's a common practice to cloister children in an academy until they reach adulthood in an effort to ensure their teachings are ingrained in them before they set out into the galaxy. We take special care to ensure they have been taught correctly. A lot can go wrong if a Jedi ignores or betrays his teachings."

"How so?" Miranda asked.

Olinda pushed her tray away as she became more involved in her explanation. "When I say 'children with promise,' I am only referencing a small group of people that have a talent few others have." She leaned back in her chair, using her hands to talk as she continued. "In my galaxy, there is an energy field throughout the entire universe we call 'the Force.' Few people are capable of actually noticing it, even fewer capable of manipulating it. We Jedi teach others how to use it in ways that benefit others." She looked around. "Even this galaxy possesses the Force, though it feels much stronger here than in my galaxy. If I had to say so, I'd think the Force has a much stronger presence in this galaxy than in mine." She looked at them intently. "Have you ever heard of such a thing?"

Shepard shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

Olinda nodded, unsurprised. "The Force gives people the ability to do many incredible things. With the ability to manipulate it, one could use telekinesis, telepathy, precognition, and many other things that make the user much more powerful than a normal citizen. We Jedi took it upon ourselves to seek out individuals with the ability to use the Force and educate them on its proper use. Usually, we tried to find children. They were much more malleable and would take our lessons as truth more easily than a teenager or adult. Occasionally, we would find an adult that had discovered his or her ability to use the Force. In that event, we would try to instill in them a sense of responsibility to help others using their gift."

"It sounds as if you were trying to dictate how this gift was to be used, "Miranda interrupted.

Olinda shrugged. "To put it bluntly, we were. People who knew how to use the Force were at an unfair advantage over others. They could use the Force to bend people's will to their own. Entire wars have begun over the Force, started by someone who used his gifts for his own means. We Jedi thought we were right in trying to educate those who could use the Force with our own teachings."

"What exactly do the Jedi teach?" Shepard asked.

Olinda leaned on the table again, clasping her armored hands in front of her. "A simple way of describing it is this: the Jedi believe that it is the responsibility of Force-users to use their gifts to benefit the galaxy. Those with Force talent are, most of the time, superior to their brethren. We don't wish for them to take advantage of those that aren't blessed with such a gift. In that regard, we try to serve as the greatest example. A perfect Jedi would use his gift of the Force to help others before he would ever think of helping himself. He strives to maintain peace and justice throughout the galaxy, and continuously serves others to better their lives, no matter who they are. He carries nothing but armor and his lightsaber, and asks for nothing in return for his services."

"It sounds a lot like the justicars," Miranda said to Shepard. She looked to Olinda as she explained. "One of the oldest races of our time, the asari, have a distinct group of people dedicated to ensuring justice throughout their territory. The justicars forsake all family, children, and worldly possessions aside from weapons and armor, and patrol asari space righting wrongs. They live by a very strict code, and most would die before ever breaking it."

Shepard crossed his arms as he leaned on the table. "So the Jedi are the peacekeepers of the galaxy, more or less."

"An apt way of putting it," Olinda answered, a small smile forming on her face.

"Then are the Sith the exact opposite?"

Olinda's face grew hard as she recollected memories of her enemies. "They are. Whereas the Jedi have organized in an effort to establish peace throughout the galaxy, the Sith have banded together to conquer it. They use their powers of the Force to further their own means." She shrugged. "I'm probably coloring their description with my own ideals, but as long as I have lived, I have never found a Sith I could trust, and they have _always_ used the Force to further their own goals."

"Do they use lightsabers too?"

She nodded. "They do. It's actually a form of combat between our two orders. A Jedi and Sith almost always settle disputes with a lightsaber duel. Whoever is the most skilled is usually the winner. Knowledge of the Force is also a big factor in it. Though a Jedi can _use_ the Force, his understanding of it might limit his abilities to simple applications of it."

Shepard nodded. "So, what can _you_ do with the Force?"

Olinda looked hesitant. "My abilities with the Force are admirable, I suppose." She gestured to the tray, and it suddenly lifted in the air of its own accord. Shepard looked for the telltale signs of biotic use, but could see none. He spared a glance to Miranda to see that she was just as surprised by the demonstration. He returned to Olinda as the woman continued. "I can use telekinesis, I can read others' thoughts and control minds, and I can sometimes sense the future. I use it to guide my body during combat, I can use it to heal others, and I can use the Force itself as a weapon or shield." She shrugged, and Shepard couldn't tell if it was out of shame or humility. It sounded like an impressive arsenal, and yet Olinda seemed to consider it nothing extraordinary. The tray floated back to the table.

Miranda spoke up. "So you can control minds?" She sounded slightly alarmed, and Shepard shared her reaction, even if his face maintained a stoic expression. Olinda nodded, and Miranda furrowed her brow. "So how do I know you're not trying to control me right now?"

Olinda shook her head. "You don't. Not truly. But for the same reason that I trust you not to bring harm upon me while aboard this ship, I would want you to trust me that I wouldn't use my powers against you unless you intended harm against me or an innocent."

"So you can read minds?" Shepard said, more so wanting confirmation than reiteration. He had heard, but he hadn't believed.

Olinda nodded. "Yes."

"Then what am I thinking right now?" Shepard blocked out all his other thoughts except that of his old gun, the HMWA Assault Rifle, reserved only for Spectres and created by the Alliance.

Olinda was silent for only a moment before she answered. "A gun. Black and sleek in design, with admirable firepower nearly unrivaled in the galaxy. Your species named it the 'HMWA Master Assault Rifle.' It's only requisitioned to a sort of black ops organization within the galaxy, employed by your very own galactic government." She finished, only staring at the commander, showing no pride in her accurate reading.

Shepard nodded, a slight smile appearing to his face as he also nodded to Miranda. "So I guess this is the part where I say whether I believe you or not," Shepard said.

Olinda shrugged. "I suppose it is."

Shepard nodded and looked to Miranda. Her face betrayed nothing, but he could somehow tell she was slightly more wary of Olinda. _Which meant she believed what she said as well._ He felt somewhat better about that. If he were crazy for believing this, at least he had company. He turned back to Olinda and nodded. "Alright. I believe you. It's hard to swallow, but then I've had some pretty tough pills to swallow in my day." Olinda nodded with a smile, and Shepard continued. "That brings me to my proposition." The Jedi gave Shepard her full attention as the commander continued. "As I said before, I don't know if we can get you back to your own timeline. If an opportunity presents itself where we can get you back, I'll be happy to help out in any way I can. Until such an opportunity arises, though, I would greatly appreciate your help with a problem on a galactic scale." Olinda's brow furrowed, but she remained silent as Shepard explained his mission. He held nothing back, and if Miranda thought such honestly was a mistake, she held her tongue. Olinda only interrupted to ask questions, usually to describe the relationships between species and governments. That launched into a more thorough explanation of the galaxy as Shepard knew it, with Miranda supplementing the commander's knowledge with her own. He didn't know if Olinda had a hard time learning everything that was being said, but the woman listened with keen interest. Almost an hour had passed before Shepard finished, and the three sat for almost an entire minute before Olinda spoke.

"It sounds as if _you_ are trying to get others to believe the impossible, Commander." Shepard didn't miss the irony, and they both smiled at the statement before Olinda continued, all humor forgotten. "I will help you fight these Collectors, Shepard. I may be in unknown territory, surrounded by unfamiliar species and governments, but my creed still holds true. If these Collectors are a threat to the galaxy, to humans, I will do what I can to defeat them."

Shepard nodded slowly, impressed with Olinda. At the end of the day, he still found it extremely hard to believe what Olinda had told him, but then he supposed the woman had found his own tale equally difficult to fathom. He sat back in his chair, giving Olinda a smile. "Alright, Miss Varr. You've given me plenty to think about, and I'm sure I can say the same about you. How about we retire for the day and we'll talk more later?"

Olinda nodded. "That seems alright to me, Commander."

Shepard nodded and stood, Miranda and Olinda following suit. "Can you find her some quarters, Miranda? Somewhere she can stay during down time?" Miranda nodded. "And you might want to show her how to use the sleep pods. Other than that, make sure she sees Dr. Chakwas, and we can wait until she's settled in to give her the tour." She nodded again, and Shepard turned to Olinda. "It's been a pleasure, Miss Varr. I'll see you when you've rested up." He offered his hand to Olinda, and the Jedi shook it.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Commander. I hope I can assist."

Shepard smiled. "I'm sure you will." He looked at Miranda. "Meet me in my cabin after you've set Olinda up. We have some things to discuss." He nodded once more to Olinda before he turned and walked away, heading to his cabin to file the report. He was sure the Illusive Man would want his stake in this, and so he decided to humor the man. At the moment, he was on their side, and so it wouldn't do to buck the system just yet. As he stepped into his cabin and sat at his office, he briefly thought about just how unbelievable this report was about to sound. He looked forward to speaking with the Illusive Man about it, even more so when Miranda's report corroborated with his own. Sighing to himself, thinking about how exciting this mission had already turned out so far, he set to work typing up the report.


	3. The Vulcan

"Commander, we're approaching the coordinates for the subterranean chamber on Trebin," Joker said into the intercom as he decreased the power draw from the thrusters and allowed the gravity of the planet to lazily draw them in. He compensated with the occasional thruster burst, but enjoyed the feeling of the ship drifting through the planet's atmosphere without full-on thrusters.

EDI supplemented Joker's announcement with additional data she believed prudent to Shepard's visit. "It appears the chamber is over one-and-a-half miles underground, connected to the surface by a vertical transport unit powered by unknown means. This 'elevator' was recently disturbed by Cerberus scientists, and was in the process activated. Cerberus has attempted to understand the workings of this system, with no success. They have since used the elevator to travel between the surface and the chamber in attempts to better understand the structure, as well as its inhabitant." She paused for a moment, and Joker had to suppress an urge to complain as she continued shortly after. "The science team is composed of twenty-three men and women from various cells throughout Cerberus. They have been instructed to wait for your arrival before proceeding, Commander. The Illusive Man has given you full authorization over the site. You may proceed as you wish, with the Illusive Man deferring to your decision."

"And there you have it, folks, the Commander's first dig site! First he comes back from the dead, and now he's looking at old civilizations!" Joker joked, wanting to shut up EDI as efficiently as possible. "Tune in next week when he shows us how to pull rabbits from his helmet, with later footage of him turning water into wine!"

_"That's enough, Joker,"_ Shepard said, firmly but not angrily. _"Set us down near the dig site. We might be here for a while."_

"Aye aye, Commander," Joker said while eyeing EDI, as if she had something to do with his scolding

* * *

The cargo ramp lowered with a thud and Shepard, Miranda, Jacob, and Olinda stepped out into the atmosphere of Trebin. Oxygen levels were similar to that of Earth, and so the four had the comfort of leaving their helmets on the ship as they traversed the short walk to the science base. Several mobile bases were already set up around a giant central disk engraved in the center of camp. As they neared, they saw it to be the 'elevator' EDI mentioned. Looking to be carved from stone, it was large enough to hold an entire shuttle. Scientists stood about conducting whatever tests they were concerned about, but on a whole activity had stopped, awaiting the presence of the Illusive Man's newest asset. Upon sighting them, one scientist in particular jogged to meet them, and Shepard guessed him to be the man in charge.

He was older, with graying hair and a clean-shaven face. He smiled as he approached, holding out his hand in greeting. "Commander Shepard, I'm Chief Archaeologist Edward Garcia. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Mr. Garcia." Shepard shook his hand, deciding to remain pleasant. While some would be wary and rude to Cerberus affiliates, Shepard knew it still paid to be civil. He didn't know how many people truly believed they were working for the greater good when they sided with Cerberus, but not all of them could be bad. He gestured to each of his team, introducing them in turn. "This is Miranda Lawson, my XO, Jacob Taylor, my Security Chief, and Olinda Varr." He left off a title for Olinda, unsure of how to classify her at the moment. He very well couldn't introduce her as a 'Jedi' and so left it at her name.

Garcia didn't seem to notice, however, greeting them all with a smile. "How do you do?" He asked, shaking each of their hands in turn before turning back to Shepard, vividly excited. "It thrills me to know that the Illusive Man is personally interested in this spectacular find."

At the mention of the find, Shepard turned the conversation to business. "What _did _you find, Mr. Garcia?"

"Oh, the find is absolutely fascinating, Commander. Please, follow me! You must see it for yourselves!" He gestured for the group to follow him and began walking to the elevator. "There really isn't a word or phrase that suitably describes it. Completely unprecedented opportunities for technological breakthroughs. Our historians are going mad with the amount of data they're picking up inside the chamber, it's just _amazing_ what this find has presented to us!" He stepped onto the elevator, and suddenly a holographic interface appeared in the very middle, displaying an orange, three-dimensional disc. He waited until everyone was aboard before placing his hand above the disc and pressing down. At the simple gesture, Shepard heard the sound of something metallic releasing, and the elevator began to descend into the planet. The use of the elevator seemed to enliven the archaeologist, who spread his hands in a gesture of the entire structure. "This elevator, for instance, is a technological marvel the likes of which we've never seen. After weeks of study, we still don't know how it works, and yet it continues to do so. We don't even know how we activated it! It could have laid dormant for centuries or millennia before now. That, in turn, leads me to the greatest find yet." He raised a finger as he paused for drama. "The chambers below have been left untouched by their original occupants. Whoever built this structure below the surface did so over ten thousand years ago before sealing it away. There's no evidence of _anyone_ being here before us."

Miranda shrugged. "Just who built this chamber? Why is it so incredible that no one has seen this chamber before? Is it prothean?"

The man shook his head. "No. At first, we considered the protheans. After all, they're the only race capable of building such a marvel. After the first week of initial study, however, we concluded that the protheans could _not_ have built this chamber. It's too recent, and it bears no similarities to other prothean ruins. The design is unlike anything we've seen."

At that statement, Shepard couldn't help but think of Olinda's unusual circumstance. He quickly pushed the thought away, unable to believe the two events could be similar, but he still held a lingering doubt in the back of his mind as the archaeologist continued.

"The chambers house various statues depicting humanoids. In fact, the statues look entirely human, except for a few differences." He laughed slightly, as if unable to believe his own words. "They have pointy ears and are quite slim, and if I would compare them to anything, I would say they look similar to elves from fantasy fiction. We have no idea what they represent, whether it be heroes or deities or the like, but they are remarkably well-preserved and beautifully crafted. At the back of the chamber, though, is the most perplexing device. It is alien in nature, yet seems to be able to keep a lone inhabitant frozen in cryogenic stasis. We have no idea how to disable it, and every attempt to understand it has been met with failure." He grew silent as the elevator finally arrived at the landing. "Ah, here we are." A narrow stone corridor stretched out before them, lit by portable florescent lights. On each wall were hieroglyphs and runic symbols, complimented with art that reminded Shepard of ancient Egyptian. This art, however, depicted the elvish-looking men and women Garcia had mentioned, and Shepard couldn't help but feel fascinated at the sight of it. "Through here, we'll find an outer chamber that connects to the main chamber," Garcia said, leading them through the corridor. "It's our belief that this structure was carved for the sole purpose of confining the person inside. We can't deduce anything about it, of course, but the structure seems to support that theory itself. Nothing else is remarkable down here."

"What do these hieroglyphs mean?" Miranda asked, a hand trailing the ink of one symbol.

"We've no idea," Garcia answered, slowing momentarily to answer her question. "Palaeographers haven't been able to find any sort of pattern in the hieroglyphs yet, but we've only just started a few weeks ago. Hopefully, within a month, we'll have answers as to just who built this chamber, and why." He gestured for them to follow again. "Come along. You haven't seen the best part, yet. The real show is past this first chamber ahead."

The group walked through the first chamber, a large rectangular room with scientists studying the walls and symbols engraved within them. The art was more prevalent in this room, enough to momentarily distract Shepard. His gaze was torn from it as they walked into the next chamber to behold a sight even more impressive than the first chamber.

This chamber was twice as big as the first. Hieroglyphs spanned the walls, leaving no room for art of any type. Statues of elf-men stood at the four corners of the room, each standing proud and defiant, gazes locked on the center of the room. Curiously, they held various items of learning among them. Scientists littered the room, and it was obvious this room was the most riveting find they had discovered here.

"Here we are," Garcia announced, stretching an arm out to present the chamber's most amazing feature. Shepard gasped as he beheld the scene in front of him.

An armored figure stood at the back of the room, dark gray and intimidating. The figure was encased in a pod-like container, a small layer of ice covering it. He took steps toward the figure, noting with curiosity that the helmet visor was transparent, allowing him the ability to peer inside. It looked to be a woman inside the suit, with strong eyebrows and, from this view, neatly cut bangs. Her eyes were closed as she slept in stasis, but every few seconds, he saw her breath heat the visor. She seemed to be human; the hands ended in five digits, the torso was the right length, and the legs were normal for humanoids like asari and humans. It only served to lend to the air of mystery surrounding the frozen figure.

"Marvelous, isn't she?" Garcia said, stepping up to him. "We found her when we cracked in here three weeks ago. Since then, we've tried every possible way to understand her, with no success. The armor has some sort of onboard computer, but despite the entire suit being cryogenically frozen, we haven't been able to hack into it. We've used every type of hack possible, from subtle worms to cluttering garbage data to overwhelming assaults. Nothing works. The computer kicks us out within seconds of us beginning the hack." He gestured to the figure. "Vitals are low but stable, so she is alive." He looked to the pillars. "The only thing we have to figure out now is how to get her out of there. If we remove her before deactivating the cryogenic systems, it could kill her." He looked to Shepard. "I was planning on doing that anyway so that we could salvage the technology, but..."

"No," Shepard said, looking at the woman's face. She was incredibly beautiful, but aside from that, he suspected she was frozen here for a reason, and he was very curious to learn why. "You won't endanger her life." He looked back at Garcia. "We'll do this right or not at all. Understand?"

Garcia nodded, looking as if he always knew that to be the case. "Of course. I'll have my men double their efforts in shutting this thing down. Please, stay as long as you like, but be careful not to touch anything." He nodded at them in finality before walking away, leaving the Normandy crew to gaze upon the armored figure.

"She's beautiful," Jacob said. "Wonder why she was frozen here."

Shepard shook his head as he stared at the figure. "No idea." He raised his gauntlet to his mouth and signaled the Normandy. "Shepard to Normandy. You hear me, Joker?"

The signal was full of static, and was barely audible, but he still heard Joker's voice through the other end. _"Really hard to hear you, Commander. You'll have to speak up or get closer."_

Shepard raised the gauntlet closer to his mouth as he raised his voice slightly. "I need you to send Dr. Chakwas in here. I need her medical expertise." He heard Joker's confirmation before crossing his arms and sighing, staring at the body. He had an idea and turned to Olinda, who had kept quiet the entire time. "This power you have... the Force. You said you could use it to read people's minds, right?"

Olinda nodded. "That's right."

Shepard gestured to the figure. "Can you somehow use it to get an idea of why she was frozen inside that pod, and who she is?"

Olinda's brow furrowed as she looked at the figure. She held that gaze for several seconds before she spoke, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. It's impossible for me to get any reading of her." She looked to Shepard as she explained. "The only way I'd be able to read what kind of person she is would be to forcefully enter her mind and get the information myself. I'm sorry, Commander, but that is one option I will not consider under these present circumstances."

Miranda cocked her head, but didn't speak. Shepard nodded, smiling. "I understand, and appreciate your decision. I wouldn't want you to do that either." He looked back at the woman and crossed his arms. "So there's nothing you can tell about her? The Force doesn't say anything about her at all?"

Olinda looked back at armored woman. "There isn't much I can tell you. She isn't aware of us at the moment. We'd have to awaken her, and I'm afraid she might attack before I could do anything." She turned back to Shepard. "I know that she is different from humans. I believe she is of another species similar to humans." She looked at Miranda. "Curiously, she is like you, but different." Miranda's eyes widened in confusion as Olinda explained. "I can't describe it, but she doesn't feel like a normal being should. She is...somehow more. The Force doesn't recognize _what _she is."

Miranda looked to Jacob and Shepard before looking back to Olinda, but the Jedi had turned back to the armored figure. Miranda instead turned to Shepard, the unspoken question in her eyes. Shepard shook his head. He never mentioned her genetic enhancements to the Jedi. Miranda seemed to consider that as she asked, "What should we do, Commander?"

Shepard continued staring at the figure. "We wait." He turned back to Miranda. "The scientists said they'd find a way to bring her out of cryogenic stasis. She might be dangerous, but I want her on my team."

"Has it occurred to any of you that she was frozen this far beneath the surface for a reason?" Olinda asked smartly.

Shepard's eyebrow cocked. "What do you mean?"

"It's possible she was placed here in a sort of exile or imprisonment." She titled her head questioningly. "Perhaps we should consider the possibility that she might be a prisoner, and that waking her would be unwise."

Shepard nodded, considering what Olinda had said. "You may be right. We'll be ready, just in case, but nothing changes." He looked to Olinda. "We still wake her."

His tone brooked no further argument, and he crossed his arms as he looked back at the armor, studying its layout. His gaze also wandered to the pod she was encased in, the technology ancient, and yet the cryogenic pod oddly sophisticated. He hadn't heard of anyone being frozen in a long time, and certainly not for such a long time. A few weeks was the longest he had heard of, and that was only during medical emergencies. Finally deciding there wasn't much to be done about the body, he turned away and began to look at the symbols and runes on the walls, curiosity getting the better of him. The others, too, began to look at the walls in curiosity, abandoning the central device.

Before he could get very far in his study of the hieroglyphs, he heard footsteps coming up the hall and turned to see Dr. Chakwas walking into the room hesitantly, her gaze drawn to the frozen woman. Shepard met her, turning to look at the woman with a smile. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Karin." He gestured to the woman while looking at Chakwas. "The scientists say she's been frozen for over 10,000 years."

"10,000 years?!" Chakwas interrupted, looking to Shepard with wide eyes. "That can't be right, Commander. How on earth is that possible?"

Shepard shook his head as he stared at the woman, hands on his hips. "Good question. I was hoping you could tell me. I was told to not touch anything, but I'd trust your medical opinion over a scientist, so do what you need to do to get an idea of how this woman is doing medically."

Chakwas nodded. "Of course, Commander." She walked up to the cryo-pod, activating her omni-tool and beginning her diagnosis.

Content with the situation, Shepard turned to see Miranda walk up to Olinda out of the corner of his eye, and the two began to speak in low voices. Odds were she was asking the spiritual knight how she knew about her genes. He maintained an occupied look on his face as he studied the symbols, all the while listening in on their conversation.

"What did you mean, she's like me?" Miranda asked, idly tracing a hieroglyph with a finger.

Olinda had knelt down to the floor, following a runic pattern on the ground with her hands as she explained. "I can sense that you are different from other humans, much like the frozen woman from her own species. The Force gives me this ability." She looked up at her. "I sense you were altered for a purpose. The frozen woman also shares this trait, though I cannot begin to fathom how _she_ had been altered."

"You sense? Or are you reading my mind?" This was what Shepard was listening for. He didn't want an altercation between his XO and the Jedi, and was ready to intervene at a moment's notice.

"No," Olinda said. "It's difficult to explain..." She was silent for a time, and Miranda gave her pause as she tried to think of how to put words to it. "The Force is real to me. Everyone I come in contact with gives off an energy within the Force. The commander's... aura, I guess you could say... is strong and powerful. I know he is a man of conviction, and that he tries to leave the galaxy a better place than he found it. I see that he has gone through nightmares, and that he has resolved to save others from ever experiencing them." She was silent for a moment. "I also sense something about him that's as remarkable as what I sense in you. He has escaped death. Somehow, he lives when he shouldn't have."

Shepard almost smirked but continued his stoicism. Miranda answered Olinda's suspicion with a resolute answer, though he could tell something was in her voice. "Commander Shepard was clinically dead when we found him. I led the project that brought him back to life. You can read all of that just by looking at him?"

Olinda nodded. "I can. Every experience leaves its mark on someone, a mark that is magnified and explained in the Force. I don't have to read his mind to know that he is powerful, yet burdened."

Miranda crossed her arms, studying her. "What do you see when you look at me?"

Olinda stood, looking at her earnestly, remaining silent for a moment. "When I see you, I see only responsibility. It's as if your gifts were curses, and that you are constantly wary of your abilities." She was silent as she continued to stare. "I also sense you're trying to prevent this from happening to another. Someone like you. Close to you."

Miranda's shock was quickly replaced by suspicion and fear. "You can read that just by looking at me?"

Olinda nodded. "It's not something I would normally be able to read, the fear of others. But I can sense this is something important to you." She cocked her head. "And personal. That is why it resonates so prominently in the Force."

Miranda's face hardened. "It is. And I swear, if you ever read my mind, I will kill you without a moment's hesitation."

Shepard froze, surprised at Miranda's tone. She meant it. Olinda got that idea as well, nodding, her eyes serious. "I understand."

"Good. See to it that you don't forget." Miranda walked off, and Shepard allowed her to continue walking until she was out of earshot. He turned to Olinda.

"I think she means it," he said, walking up to Olinda, the Jedi returning to her study of the hieroglyphs.

Olinda nodded, looking as if nothing had happened. "She does. I sense a resolve in her that is unmatched."

"I get that feeling too," Shepard said, eyes trailing after Miranda as she began looking at hieroglyphs on another wall.

Olinda stared at Shepard for a moment before speaking again. "You don't trust her," Olinda said, looking at Shepard. It wasn't a question.

He looked at the Jedi, arms crossed. "You sense that too?"

Olinda nodded. "I do. It's not as evident in your aura as her worry is in hers, but it's still noticeable." She spared Shepard an explanation as she asked, "You haven't worked with her before, have you?"

Shepard shook his head. "No. This entire team is new to me." He looked at Olinda. "What you said to her was true. I died. Miranda was also correct in saying that she brought me back to life."

She frowned. "How so?"

Shepard shrugged. "I don't know the specifics, but it was all the result of science. It was very expensive, and until me it had never happened before. Miranda could give you more info. The science is good, though," he assured, patting his chest. "I'm alive because of her."

Olinda's head cocked. "And now you don't trust her?" The dots were obviously hard for her to connect.

Shepard shook his head. "Cerberus is a group that promotes human advancement, at any cost. Sometimes their cost is too high a price. People get hurt, or worse. In my case, it was beneficial, but even my resurrection was a means to an end." He looked at Miranda, who had walked over to talk to Jacob, before resuming. "I've seen horrible experiments conducted by Cerberus. Put many of them down myself in my time. Miranda and Jacob seem to believe that what Cerberus does, though, is worth all those deaths. To that end, I keep them at arm's length. I work with them, but only because I have to."

Olinda cocked an eyebrow. "And you expect me to work for them?"

Shepard smiled. "I expect you to make your own choice: work for them or with _me_. You'll come to form your own opinion in time, I'm sure. When you do, I'll respect it."

"Hm..." Olinda said as she pondered Shepard's answer. "It is a strange galaxy I find myself in." She looked over at Shepard as she smiled. "In my own galaxy, speciism was almost completely nonexistent. The different races of the galaxy interacted together with almost no prejudice. If what you say is true, I would assume that's _not_ the case in this galaxy."

Shepard shook his head. "Unfortunately, it's not. The races of the galaxy are always vying to maintain peace, but there's definitely mistrust everywhere. Cerberus just openly acknowledges that mistrust."

"You seem different, though."

Shepard shrugged. "I think one alien is as good as the next. Just because I'm human doesn't mean I'm better than them."

"But you don't prefer a human over aliens?"

Shepard shook his head. "We might all look different, but I feel we're all the same. Generally, anyway. We each have wants and needs, hopes and fears, ambitions and desires. Just because you have scales or tentacles doesn't mean you're less of a person than one of my own race."

Olinda smiled. "That's a beautiful outlook, Commander." She seemed to look at Shepard in a new light, and held out her hand as she added, "I sincerely hope you can inspire such views of equality in this galaxy. It will be a better place because of it."

Shepard took her hand and shook, grinning amusedly. "I think inspiring a galaxy is slightly beyond my pay grade."

Olinda didn't miss a beat. "You were resurrected after death, a feat you assure me was impossible before Cerberus accomplished it. That must mean you're more important than I initially thought. Anyone who can make resurrection a reality must be very powerful. That Cerberus saw you as worth the trouble speaks well for your abilities and character. And the mission we find ourselves on is one of galactic importance." She grinned at Shepard. "You may find yourself to be a central figure in the future of the galaxy, Commander. " She shrugged. "Stranger things have happened."

Shepard nodded, somewhat okay with being the center of attention, but more hopeful that he'd never be put into a position of that magnitude. This mission was already skirting those lines. "I just hope I can live up to it."

"Commander," Chakwas called out from near the pod, interrupting the two. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

Shepard nodded to Olinda. "Excuse me." He walked up to Chakwas, the doctor still taking readings on the pod and its inhabitant. "What do you got, Karin?"

"I have confirmed that, as unlikely as it sounds, Cerberus was correct, give or take a few years. This woman has been frozen for almost eleven thousand years." She looked to Shepard, her eyes wide with shock. "I'm still having trouble believing that, but this technology doesn't lie."

Shepard gestured to the cryo pod as he tried to remember what he had learned in history class about the devices. "How's it capable of working for that long?"

Chakwas shrugged as she turned back. "Truthfully, I don't know. I've never seen this model before, and as a medical officer, I was exposed to, if not trained on, the different types of stasis-inducing devices I might come across." She shook her head. "Nothing I learned in my years at school compare to this, though. For such an old device, it's remarkably well-preserved, and the device itself looks to be very advanced." She made a couple more readings on her omni-tool before looking to Shepard. "I _have_ noticed during my scans that the pod has the ability to detach from the wall, likely allowing someone to transport it to another location. I believe we could do so without fear of injuring or killing the woman, Commander. If we could move her to the sick bay, I could tinker around and find out how to thaw her out safely."

Shepard crossed his arms, cocking his head. "You're sure this could work, Karin? One of the doctors assured me he could find out how to get the pod open."

"Perhaps he can," Karin agreed," But I would feel better doing it aboard the Normandy. Our ship's technology is much more impressive than what I've seen here. I believe her chances of surviving are much greater if we were to wake her aboard the Normandy."

Shepard nodded, looking at the woman while weighing his options. "You're the doctor." He looked to the pod, noticing that it was quite large, and likely heavy. "Any idea how we'll get it back to the Normandy?"

Karin stroked her chin as she considered the pod. "Perhaps biotics would be easiest. As I understand it, we have two in the room right now." She looked to Jacob and Miranda as the Cerberus officers watched her from afar, likely wondering what they were talking about.

Shepard nodded. "Alright. Get them to help you, and get her on the Normandy. I'll talk with the scientists and let them know the change of plans." Chakwas nodded and Shepard turned to look at one of the scientists crowding a wall. "Where would I find Garcia?" he asked, and the man turned around to look at Shepard, his study of hieroglyphs forgotten.

"I'll get him for you," the man said, bringing his omni-tool to his mouth. "Dr. Garcia, the Illusive Man's agents want to speak to you in the inner chamber."

Shepard was one step ahead though, piggybacking onto the man's frequency to enter the conversation himself. "Garcia, I'm confiscating this woman and her cryo pod."

Garcia's dismayed voice interrupted him before he could explain himself. _"What?! Why? We haven't finished studying her!"_

Shepard nodded along with the man, already knowing this could become drawn out if he didn't nip it in the bud. "I understand that, but my doctor wants her aboard the Normandy. We're better equipped to handle this than your team, and I don't have time to sit around and wait for you to finish conducting tests."

_"Commander Shepard," _the man said, trying to stall, _"please reconsider. The amount of data we could gather is exponential! Think of the medical breakthroughs we could discover!"_

Shepard felt a flash of irritation as the man continued to argue. "The technology is old, doctor. There's nothing more you can do here. We're taking her to the Normandy. If you have a problem with that, take it up with the Illusive Man." Without waiting for a reply, he terminated the transmission, staring at the scientist across from him. "I assume your friends won't be of any trouble?"

The scientist shook his head. "N-no, sir. None at all."

Shepard nodded before returning to Chakwas, the doctor having recruited the two officers before running the detachment sequence. "All settled, Karin." He crossed his arms as he accepted her nod to be the only answer she would give, watching as she typed furiously on her omni-tool. Within moments, a sudden _hiss_ was heard as a mechanical clanking noise resounded from the back of the pod. When all was silent again, Chakwas turned to Shepard, smiling. "There. We can move it now."

Shepard nodded to her and looked to his officers. "Can you two carry it alright?"

Miranda smiled as she flicked her hand, and the blue field of biotic power enveloped her limbs. "Please, Shepard. Heavy lifting was one of the original purposes of biotics." As Jacob added his own power to the biotic field, the pod began levitating until waist-high. Miranda looked to him again. "Shall we go?"

Shepard nodded, smiling as his XO and Chief carried the pod toward the elevator. Some of the scientists looked alarmed as they saw their focus of research being carried away, but Shepard's glare broke their resolve. He beckoned to Olinda and the Jedi moved beside him as he led the way down the chamber corridor to the elevator. He just moved past the first corridor when he saw the elevator was gone-but was quickly returning with Edward Garcia, the scientist distraught.

"Commander Shepard, please don't do this!" He said, jumping off the elevator before it had completely set down. "This pod contains the body of a species we've never seen before, with technology that, while old, seems to be advanced for its age. There's so much we can learn if we can simply get more time, please Commander Shepard."

Shepard sighed as he stopped, not wanting to cause an incident with the scientist, but feeling himself getting frustrated. "Garcia, I told you we're taking her. There's nothing you can do. My doctor is going to study her aboard the Normandy, and I promise you, we'll be taking appropriate steps to guarantee the woman's safety."

"But you don't understand," Garcia began, but Miranda interrupted him, deactivating her field and setting the pod down.

"No, doctor. You don't understand." She stepped to within an inch of him, glaring coldly at the man. "We are confiscating this woman and her cryo pod in the interest of study. Our ship is more capable than your camp, and so keeping her here impedes progress."

Garcia's defense seemed to crumble at her words, as he was silent, simply staring at the pod behind them. "But this opportunity is one-of-a-kind. I'll never get this chance again." His words sounded more hollow, the fire dying in him as he realized there was nothing he could do. Shepard realized then that Garcia was looking forward more to the scientific data than to any recognition he may get from Cerberus for leading the find. He almost felt sorry for the man.

Miranda continued, unperturbed by the man's meekness. "You were not conscripted into Cerberus to satisfy your scientific curiosities. You joined because you could get the job done. I'm beginning to wonder if Cerberus made a mistake in taking you in."

Garcia's eyes widened as fear covered his face. "N..no, there's been no mistake, Ms. Lawson, I..."

"Then step aside." She waited until Garcia had stepped aside before grabbing the pod in another field and leading the others to the elevator. The biotics set the pod down with a resounding thud as Shepard activated the holo console.

"Damn, but that's heavy," Jacob commented, kicking the pod.

"They must not have had the resources or knowledge to make lighter versions of these things," Miranda said, staring down at the pod. She looked at Chakwas, the doctor having knelt down by the pod to monitor the pod's status, as well as its occupant's vitals. "Any change, doctor?"

Karin shook her head. "No. Her vitals are still strong." She tapped a few buttons on her omni-tool before looking at Shepard. "It's as I believed. This pod is capable of preserving any occupant for at least a day on its own power. Any longer than that would present a danger to whoever's inside, but we should be fine as soon as we get her to the med bay."

The elevator topped the chasm, and the biotics took position around the pod. "Let's do this quickly," Jacob said. "I'm starting to feel a headache coming on." He lifted his hands as he prepared to create a biotic field, but stopped short as Olinda stepped forward.

"Perhaps I could help," she said, looking to Jacob and Miranda. When neither objected, she glanced at the pod and gestured with a hand. At once, the pod gracefully ascended, appearing completely stable in the woman's power. She looked to Shepard and smiled.

"Impressive," Jacob remarked. "So you're a biotic?"

Olinda shook her head. "No. I am merely using the Force."

Jacob furrowed his brow. "The Force?"

Olinda looked to him, remembering that he hadn't heard of her abilities and realizing that the commander had withheld this information. "There will be time to explain later. For now, we should bring this woman to the ship."

Shepard nodded. "Agreed. Move out, people." He led the way back to the Normandy, keeping his gun holstered but his hand ready to draw it at a moment's notice. Garcia had seemed passionate about wanting to study the pod, and so Shepard kept an eye out for anything suspicious. Scientists all watched with interest as they walked through the camp, and it began to make Shepard edgy.

His caution was unwarranted, though, as they boarded the Normandy without issue. Shepard closed the cargo bay door as Miranda brought up the rear, watching the Jedi set the pod down next to the pieces of her own escape pod. The green-skinned woman sighed from the exertion, but looked no worse for wear, something that stood out to both biotics. "Impressive," Miranda commented. "This 'Force' is certainly more formidable than I initially thought." She cocked an eyebrow. "Can it be used aggressively to press an attack?"

Olinda nodded as she pulled her hair into a ponytail. "It can, though Jedi are encouraged to find alternate resolutions to issues. If there is no other recourse, we use the Force to bring an end to hostilities as quickly as possible."

"And that includes using your lightsaber?" Shepard asked, watching Karin monitor the pod's status.

Olinda nodded again. "In most cases, yes. The lightsaber had become as much a symbol as it had been a weapon. The act of simply drawing lightsabers usually ended conflict. If not," she shrugged, "It was a suitable weapon to end conflicts quickly." She looked to the doctor as Chakwas stood, deactivating the omni-tool. "Are we ready to proceed to the sick bay, doctor?"

Chakwas nodded. "If you would be so kind, Ms. Varr?"

Olinda smiled as she held her hand out to the pod. "Of course." As graceful as before, the pod ascended into the air, stopping at waist level before Olinda guided it into the cargo elevator. Shepard, Jacob, Miranda, and Chakwas all found places in the elevator to stand, though it was slightly cramped with all their armor and weapons, and Shepard pressed the button to ascend to Deck 3. A moment later, they filed out to allow Olinda and Chakwas out, with Shepard promising to come by later after he'd made his report to the Illusive Man. The remaining three rode the elevator up to the armory, where they logged their weapons before Shepard returned to his quarters to change.

He had just tugged on his jumpsuit when a chime indicated a visitor at his door. _"Security Chief Taylor here to speak with you, Shepard,"_ EDI responded.

He wasn't expecting his chief here, but surprise visits never bothered Shepard. "Let him in," Shepard said as he tugged on a boot and began to lace it up. A moment later, he heard the familiar hiss of the door opening and looked up to see Jacob walking toward him. He nodded in greeting. "Chief."

Taylor stopped just inside the main room, saluting. "Commander."

"Come on in," Shepard said, tugging on his other boot. "Have a seat."

"No, thank you, Commander," Jacob said, standing a respectable distance. "This isn't a social visit."

Shepard looked up from lacing his boots, eyeing Jacob cautiously. At once, he remembered that he was on a Cerberus vessel surrounded by their people. Had they decided to off him now? At once he put the idea down; he was too expensive to kill right away. He knew he still served a purpose to Cerberus. And Jacob didn't seem the guy to do something like that anyway. He finished lacing up his boot and stood to meet Jacob's eyes. "Then what's the issue?" He briefly wondered if Olinda had done something to make his team edgy; he wasn't sure what all Jedi did, but he knew Jacob wasn't too keen on having someone that could read your mind onboard.

"It's about the woman, Commander," Jacob explained, and Shepard felt his suspicions confirmed. "Olinda Varr. She said something about using 'the Force' back on Trebin." He crossed his arms. "I feel like she hasn't told us everything about her. Without knowing her capabilities, I can't feel safe having her onboard."

Shepard felt slight irritation at the man questioning his orders, but suppressed the feeling. He was simply doing his job, and coming to him for reassurance wasn't an offense worthy of anger. He sighed as he searched for a starting point, clasping his hands behind his back. "What is your first impression of Olinda? In all honesty?"

Jacob's eyes searched the floor as he answered. "My first impression?" He looked up, shrugging. "She's a good woman. But I know first impressions can't always be trusted. My gut tells me that she's dangerous, and that doesn't sit well with me." He furrowed his brow in confusion. "Am I wrong for thinking like that?"

Shepard shook his head as he stared at his empty aquarium. "No. Concern for the mission's assets is your job, and Olinda is a wild card. It makes sense to feel wary around something you don't understand." He looked to Jacob as the man looked at his own hands. "Something to think about: your gut tells you she's dangerous, but your first impression of her told you she was a good woman. What led you to these observations?"

Jacob's brow furrowed in thought as he considered the question. "Well... I don't know." He chuckled slightly. "It may sound stupid, but I just get this vibe from her that she's a good person." He looked to Shepard. "I haven't really spoken with her, but something about her just makes me feel at ease."

Shepard nodded. "And your thoughts about her being dangerous stem from...?"

Jacob smiled. "It's the other side of the coin, then. I feel like my vibe is misleading. I have no reason to believe she's a good person, just as much as I have no reason believing she's bad." He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just being too cautious."

Shepard smiled as he pat Jacob on the shoulder. "I know what you mean. You're trying to remain indifferent until you are sure of her motives. I understand." He smiled at Jacob. "I've spoken with her, though, and I can assure you that vibe you got was right on the money. I think she's one of the kindest people I've ever met, and I have no reason to believe so other than because of a small conversation. But it was all I needed to know that she's a good person."

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. I guess I was overreacting."

Shepard smiled again. "You should go talk to her. Get to know her. She's very smart, and very insightful. It'd be a good experience for you."

Jacob nodded, tossing the idea around in his head. "I think I will." He held out his hand. "I appreciate the talk, Shepard."

Shepard smiled as he returned the handshake. "Any time."

* * *

Shepard had reviewed the dossiers of the possible recruits the Illusive Man selected before making for the Omega station to begin his search. He then passed time by browsing the extranet, reviewing the galaxy's history from the past two years. He had a lot of news to catch up on and, from past experiences on ships, knew he had plenty of time to do it. Much of it was political shifts between various parties. Shepard was somewhat gladdened to see humanity granted many favors after their sacrifice during the war against Sovereign, but knew it would only color their reputation with the other races. He hoped his race could measure up to the galaxy's extreme standards.

Further study of the galaxy's past two years was interrupted by a chime on the intercom, followed by EDI's voice. "_Commander, Dr. Chakwas requests your presence at the sick bay."_

Shepard looked up to the ceiling, slightly elated; this could only be news about the woman. "Any news about the Ice Queen?"

"_I have received no update from the doctor. Monitoring of her vitals, however, suggest the patient is awake and functioning normally."_

Shepard was out of the chair before EDI could finish her statement.

**. . . . .**

"Doctor?" Shepard called out as he stepped through the door to the medical bay, where he saw both Karin and Olinda standing further inside the room. They were flanking a third figure, the woman that had been frozen inside the pod, minus her armor. The pieces were piled haphazardly in a corner of the room, allowing the woman to stretch unhindered, and it was unarmored that Shepard saw her to be a fairly small woman, around the same size as Karin but much thinner. Her hair was dark black, cut very neatly and kept short. Her eyebrows seemed very strong and pronounced, and her hair was tucked behind ears that ended in points. She was dressed in dark slacks and a blue jacket that, to Shepard's eye, looked military. It sported an insignia, but bore no indication of rank.

"Ah, Commander!" Karin said, turning to look upon Shepard with a smile. "I'd like to introduce you to T'Pira. T'Pira, this is our commander, John Shepard."

The woman bowed her head slightly. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Commander Shepard." She held out her hand in greetings, and Shepard shook it, surprised to feel a subtle strength behind her grip.

"Likewise, T'Pira…?" He drifted off into silence, and the woman picked up on it at once.

"I have no surname. T'Pira will suffice." Throughout the whole greeting, she offered no smile, or any other emotion that Shepard could notice. Her stoic face was immediately noticeable to Shepard, and he automatically categorized her as a very composed or professional woman.

"Alright then, T'Pira." He released her hand and looked her over once. "Are you feeling alright? You were in that pod for quite a while."

"So I've been told," she said, looking at the pod. "I have minor nausea, but know from experience that it will pass momentarily." She looked back at him. "I feel no other side effects."

Shepard nodded, looking to Chakwas. "Have you checked her over?"

Karin shook her head. "We only just helped her out of her armor. I haven't examined her yet."

"She appears to be well, apart from the nausea, Commander," Olinda said, staring intently at T'Pira. They locked eyes for a moment before Olinda smiled and broke the gaze and looked to Shepard. "Her prolonged time in the pod doesn't seem to have any adverse effects."

"You are correct," T'Pira said somewhat distractedly. The first emotion flashed across her face, quickly but noticeably: confusion. Her mask quickly returned, and T'Pira looked to Shepard. "Commander, I do not recognize the layout of this ship. May I inquire the origin of its construction?"

"Perhaps some food and water first, Ms. T'Pira. Spending a few centuries as a popsicle has to be hell on the stomach."

Karin nodded. "I think that would be best. _After_ we conduct a thorough physical, of course." She looked pointedly at Shepard, and the commander backed off.

"You're the doctor." He looked to T'Pira. "You mind the doctor checking for any leaks?"

T'Pira clasped her arms behind her back. "A medical examination would be prudent in this situation. Though I feel fine, there may be hidden issues to which I am not aware."

Shepard nodded. "Alright. She's all yours, doc." He gestured to Olinda. "C'mon, Ms. Varr. Karin will kick you out otherwise." Shepard saw a small smile escape the doctor's professional façade as he led Olinda out the door and into the mess. "Her examination shouldn't take too long. How about a bite while we wait?"

Olinda shook her head as she sat down. "I'm fine, thank you. If you need something to eat, though, don't let me stop you."

Shepard was already heading to the kitchen, a smile on his face. "I didn't plan on it." He helped himself to a tray and a portion of the ready-to-eats before joining Olinda at the table. "This stuff still smells weird," he said, holding up a piece of meatloaf on a fork.

Olinda grinned. "Army food." Shepard nodded in agreement as he stuffed a piece in his mouth. "The Army of the Republic had the worst food imaginable. Half the time your stomach didn't know if it should digest it or throw it up."

Shepard laughed with his mouth full, swallowing before laughing some more. "The Alliance isn't much better." He looked at the rock-hard biscuit as he continued, "I figured Cerberus would have better stuff, but I see they're on military rations as well."

"Probably saves on costs. Considering how much they spent on you, they had to cut costs somewhere."

Shepard shrugged. "Probably. I remember Rupert mentioning something about wanting new supplies for better rations." He ate another bite, and though he masked it well, Olinda could still tell his taste buds weren't partial to the food. He swallowed. "I think I'll take him up on that."

They sat in silence for a moment, Shepard still eating, before Olinda decided to speak. "So, Commander, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Shepard swallowed a spoonful of mashed potatoes before looking to the Jedi. "Hm...What do you wanna know?"

Olinda shrugged. "How about something interesting from your military career? _Before_ you died." She grinned.

Shepard pushed his tray away, leaning his arms on the table as he reared his head back in thought. "Well…about nine years ago, I was stationed on a human colony of Elysium. Humanity hadn't been exploring space for very long, but we had just colonized enough planets in the surrounding systems to gain the unwanted attention of the batarians. You remember me talking about humanity's problems there, right?"

Olinda nodded. "The batarians became aggressive when the Council denied their request to declare the Skyllian Verge an area of batarian interest, and eventually seceded from Council space to become a rogue state."

Shepard nodded. "Right. Around 2176 CE, a huge band of pirates, slavers, and batarian warlords launched an attack on the Skyllian Verge, intending to destroy Elysium. There must have been dozens of ships, each of them dropping off hundreds of pirates armed to the teeth. The Alliance soldiers that were on leave rallied with the civilians and managed to hold off the pirates until the Alliance Navy showed up to engage the ships in the atmosphere." He looked to Olinda. "The ships did well, destroying many of the pirate vessels, but the ground team had a much harder fight. We held off pirates for hours, until reinforcements arrived. Outnumbered and outgunned, the remaining pirates fled in whatever they had left."

Olinda nodded. "And where were you during all this? On one of the ships?"

Shepard shook his head. "I rallied a group of civilians and worked to hold off the pirates for as long as we could."

"Shepard doesn't give himself enough credit," Jacob suddenly said, appearing beside Olinda and taking a seat. Miranda was with him and seated herself beside Shepard as Jacob continued. "The pirates broke through a bulkhead and would have overrun the colony had Shepard not single-handedly fought them off and sealed the breach." He looked to Shepard. "This guy's a badass and he won't even admit it. You'll have to assume he's better than he lets on."

Olinda smiled, still staring at Shepard. "I'm beginning to see that." She clasped her hands in front of her as she turned to Jacob. "And how are you, Mr. Taylor? Rested from your mental exertion?"

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. Biotics tend to get hungry very quickly. I just stuffed some food down my throat and I was fine. You didn't seem to have any trouble with that pod, though."

"Indeed," Miranda agreed. "I'd go as far as to say that your skills are equal to my own."

Olinda shook her head. "Telepathy is basic manipulation of the Force. When you have reached a certain level of mastery over it, size and weight mean nothing to the machinations of the Force."

"You keep speaking of the Force, but you've never explained it." Jacob said, eyeing her with curiosity. "What exactly is it?"

She smiled a crooked smile as she looked up in thought. "The Force is complicated to explain, and yet so very simple when you understand it…" A sudden hiss of a door interrupted her, and she looked past Shepard to see a newcomer. "and will have to wait. I see our new crewmate has finished her examination."

Shepard looked over his shoulder to see T'Pira walking toward him, her steps calculated and graceful, her entire body rigid. "That was quick," he said, surprised.

She stopped smartly at the edge of the table, staring ahead in a professional fashion as she acknowledged Shepard. "Commander Shepard. I have been found to be physically fit. My time in cryostasis has had no adverse effects on my body or mind."

Shepard nodded, standing up and facing T'Pira, the woman turning to face him. "Good. I'm glad to hear it. I imagine you have questions now."

"As, I assume, do you."

Shepard nodded. "Right. Perhaps some food first," he said as he directed her attention to the galley, stepping up to the kitchen. "The food tastes like ass, but it'll fill you up."

T'Pira hesitated before stepping forward to join him. "You eat between scheduled times?"

Shepard shrugged. "Not usually, no, but I was feeling hungry, and I know you feel the same." He gestured to the trays and ready-to-eats respectively. "There are the trays, and those boxes are ready-to-eats. Just pop one open and you can start eating. They come in different flavors and styles. Pick one that sounds appetizing." He went back to the table, choosing the seat beside Jacob so T'Pira could sit across from him. T'Pira took the seat across from him a moment later, having chosen the meatloaf with flash-frozen beans and creamed corn. Even while sitting and eating, she was graceful and calculated. Every movement, from placing the tray down to lifting her fork, seemed to have a purpose.

Shepard let her eat for a few minutes in silence before he began. "So. I guess a good place to start would be how are you feeling?"

T'Pira set her fork down, finished, and looked up to regard Shepard. "Aside from slight nausea, I feel fine. Your medical expert, Dr. Chakwas, believes it will subside with food and sleep."

Shepard nodded. "Would you like to talk now, or do you want to get some sleep first?"

T'Pira hesitated a moment before replying, "My present discomfort is not enough to inhibit me from accurately answering any questions you may have. You needn't fear for my condition. "

Shepard noticed at once that this lady was quite different from any other woman he had met. No one spoke as she did, and though he could understand her, it wasn't second nature for him to hear such an elegant vocabulary. "Alright then. Would you be willing to tell me how you came to be in the cryopod?"

"Not at the present time," she responded. "The determinant for my suspension is sensitive and is not to be shared with anyone without proper clearance."

Shepard knew better than to bite, leaving that as it was. "Fair enough. Could you tell us something about yourself instead?"

"I suppose I can," she said, lacing her fingers together. "I was Chief Science Officer of the SSV Voyash Moru of Starfleet, serving under Captain Hines as his advisor and linguist during an exploratory mission into space."

"Exploratory mission?" Miranda asked. "There's very little uncharted space in the galaxy left. What sector where you exploring?"

"I don't believe you would recognize it." She crossed her arms as she turned from Miranda to Shepard. "Commander, what is the stardate?"

"Um..." Shepard looked to the others before looking back at T'Pira. "I don't know about a stardate but the date is April 3rd, 2185 CE."

T'Pira seemed to consider his answer for a moment before changing the subject. "What is the reigning governmental body in the galaxy?"

"The Citadel Council," Miranda said, giving T'Pira a calculated stare. "How long were you in the cryopod?"

"That remains to be seen," T'Pira said, looking between the others. "But I do not believe I'm in my own time. I believe I'm in the future."

Shepard nodded, already guessing that outcome. "Ice core dating suggests that too, but I'm trying to figure out how that is possible. Science says you've been in that pod for over ten thousand years." He leaned forward. "You're not human, are you?"

T'Pira shook her head. "I am not. I am Vulcan. We are similar to humans in many ways, but we still maintain a unique genetic structure that sets us apart from humans drastically enough to grant us our own label as a different species. We are 'cousins' if nothing else."

Shepard nodded. "Vulcan. I've never heard of them." He looked to Miranda, who was shaking her head.

"Neither have I." She turned to T'Pira. "Why haven't we heard about them before now?"

"I have only theories," T'Pira said. She looked at Shepard. "Perhaps access to galactic records would assist in confirming or disproving my speculations."

"We'll give you access," Shepard said. "But I'm still interested in this Starfleet. Who were they?"

T'Pira shifted in her chair as she explained, "Starfleet was the deep-space exploratory and defense service maintained by the United Federation of Planets. Its principal functions included the advancement of Federation knowledge about the galaxy and its inhabitants, the advancement of Federation science and technology, the military defense of the Federation, and the practice of Federation diplomacy." She looked between the faces, taking note of Jacob's slightly confused face. "An appropriate vernacular would be a diplomatic navy with a focus in exploration."

Shepard nodded with his understanding. "And you were the Chief Science Officer of a ship?" T'Pira nodded. "Can you share what a science officer's duties are?"

"Science officers inherited many responsibilities, and were generally next in line for the chain of command. Science officers were responsible for observing and theorizing explanations for strange or seemingly unexplainable circumstances. A general survey party required the direction of the science officer. In a medical emergency, the findings of the science officer were heavily relied upon, even in the presence of certified medical personnel. The science officer was required to keep thorough and frequent logs of their mission. They were also required to supply the commanding officer with all reports, observations, and speculations that might have affected the safety of their vessel."

"Sounds like a glorified executive officer," Shepard said.

"Then my explanation of the science officer's responsibilities was too vague," T'Pira said. "A science officer will always be able to fulfill the role of an executive officer, but an executive officer may not always be capable of fulfilling the role of a science officer. A mission could not succeed without a science officer. Starfleet mandates the presence of a science officer aboard every vessel before clearance for launch can be given."

"So they're very important," Shepard said.

T'Pira nodded slowly. "That is an understatement, but you are correct."

Shepard nodded and looked to Miranda and Jacob before returning to T'Pira. "That's all the questions I have for now. Is there anything I can answer for you now that we have the opportunity?"

T'Pira considered for a moment before speaking, "What is humanity's current role in the galaxy?"

Shepard decided to skip that question, an idea forming in his mind. "Tell you what, Ms. T'Pira, I'll give you access to the galactic records so you can evaluate the galactic community's cultural progression in just a moment." She arched an eyebrow, and Shepard continued. "Right now, we're on a sensitive mission that I, frankly, could use your help in." He explained in detail the mission and objectives, offering T'Pira a proposal at the end. "Unless your own mission conflicts with mine, I would appreciate your help in this mission. We can find you quarters and a uniform, as well as weapons and armor. In return, you use your experience as a science officer to assist me in completing this mission."

T'Pira took a considerably longer time than before, likely considering all possibilities before answering. Finally, she nodded. "These 'Collectors' seem to be a galactic threat, Commander. I will lend you whatever knowledge and expertise I can."

Shepard stood and walked around the table, holding out his hand. "I appreciate that, T'Pira. Welcome aboard."

* * *

**Surprise. I would appreciate a beta to review future chapters only to the extent of T'Pira. Vulcan speech is not something I'm familiar with, and I would appreciate second opinions on T'Pira's speech.**

**Update speed, while already unimpressive, has slowed due to opportunities at church, as well as distractions from Fallout 3.**


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